AFRİKA’DA TERÖRİZMİ YENİDEN DÜŞÜNMEK VE İDEOLOJİK DETERMİNİZMİ SORGULAMAK: BOKO HARAM VE ISWAP ÖRNEĞİNDE KAZARA RADİKALLEŞME

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Afrika’da dini motifli örgütlere katılımda din ve ideolojinin rolünü Eleştirel Terörizm Çalışmaları perspektifinden incelemekte ve Sahel bölgesine odaklanmaktadır. Çalışmanın temel hipotezi, bölgede ortaya çıkan dini saikli örgütlerin radikalleşme süreçlerinde din ve ideolojinin etkisinin sınırlı olduğudur. Bu hipotezi test etmek amacıyla 2023–2025 yılları arasında Çad, Nijer ve Nijerya’da saha çalışmaları yürütülmüş; Boko Haram ve İslam Devleti Batı Afrika Vilayeti (ISWAP) eski üyeleriyle yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler içerik analiziyle David Rapoport ve Samuel Makinda’nın modellerinde ele alınan argümanlar karşılaştırılmıştır ve saha gözlemleriyle desteklenmiştir. Bulgular, katılımcıların örgütlerin ideolojik çerçevesine sınırlı düzeyde hâkim olduğunu ve dini motivasyonun katılım sürecinde göreceli olarak daha az belirleyici olduğunu göstermektedir. Buna karşılık, katılımcıların ve örgütlerin faaliyet gösterdiği toplumların, Selefi söylemden ziyade Ticanilik gibi yerel dini geleneklerle daha güçlü bir ilişki içinde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu sonuçlar, Sahel bağlamında radikalleşmenin ideolojik derinlikten ziyade süreç içerisinde gelişen yönelimler, temaslar ve kademeli dahil oluşlar üzerinden şekillendiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çerçevede çalışma, bazı katılım biçimlerinin “kazara radikalleşme” kavramıyla açıklanabileceğine işaret etmektedir. Ayrıca, terörizmin motivasyon dinamiklerinin genellenebilir olmadığını ve özellikle Afrika’ya özgü toplumsal, kültürel ve ilişkisel yapının hem katılım süreçlerinde hem de mücadele stratejilerinde belirleyici bir unsur olarak dikkate alınması gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Kazara Radikalleşme
• Boko Haram
• ISWAP
• Terörizm
• Selefilik

RETHINKING TERRORISM AND QUESTIONING IDEOLOGICAL DETERMINISM IN AFRICA: ACCIDENTAL RADICALIZATION IN THE CASE OF BOKO HARAM AND ISWAP

Abstract

This study examines the role of religion and ideology in participation in religiously motivated organizations in Africa from the perspective of Critical Terrorism Studies, with a particular focus on the Sahel region. The main hypothesis of the study is that the influence of religion and ideology in the radicalization processes of such organizations in the region is limited. In order to test this hypothesis, fieldwork was conducted between 2023 and 2025 in Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, and semi-structured interviews were carried out with former members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The data obtained were analyzed through content analysis and compared with the arguments presented in the models of David Rapoport and Samuel Makinda, and further supported by field observations. The findings indicate that participants have a limited level of familiarity with the ideological framework of these organizations and that religious motivation is relatively less determinative in the process of participation. In contrast, it has been observed that both the participants and the societies in which these organizations operate maintain a stronger relationship with local religious traditions, such as Tijaniyya, rather than with Salafi discourse. These results demonstrate that, in the Sahel context, radicalization is shaped not by ideological depth but by processes involving evolving orientations, interpersonal contacts, and gradual forms of involvement. Within this framework, the study suggests that certain forms of participation can be conceptualized as “accidental radicalization.” Furthermore, the study reveals that the motivational dynamics of terrorism are not generalizable and that Africa’s context-specific social, cultural, and relational structures should be considered as determining factors in both participation processes and counterterrorism strategies.

Keywords

• Accidental Radicalization
• Boko Haram
• ISWAP
• Terrorism
• Salafism

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