Cameroon's 'Boko Halal'

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

Uttering the name "Boko Haram," which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language, usually sends shivers down the spines of Cameroonians – but teachers at local religious schools want to change that.

"Boko Haram says it is against Western education, but we say 'Boko Halal' to say we support education, because there is no distinction in education," Cheick Sarbou, the imam of a Koranic school in Douala, Cameroon's economic capital, told The Anadolu Agency.

"Prophet Muhammad simply said that we [Muslims] should seek knowledge, even if we have to travel to China," he said.

For the last six years, Boko Haram has waged a deadly insurgency in Nigeria's northeastern region, leaving thousands dead.

"If someone has learned the lessons provided by religious and Koranic schools, they cannot turn bad in life," Sarbou asserted.

"These schools teach Koranic values to children, which promotes respect for elders and prohibits killing," the imam added.

In recent months, Boko Haram has mounted deadly attacks in Nigeria's neighbors – including Niger, Cameroon and Chad – prompting the latter to launch a joint counterterrorism campaign endorsed by the African Union and other regional bodies.

Sarbou believes education to be the "true antidote" against the recruitment of young Muslims by Boko Haram, which has recently waged several cross-border attacks against neighboring Cameroon.

Fears have mounted among parents in Douala's predominantly Muslim Newtown district, which is also one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, that their children might end up joining the notorious militant group.

Sarbou said that, to prevent the recruitment of Muslim children by Boko Haram, instructors in Douala's Koranic schools should focus on teaching the values of coexistence and imparting the importance of education as prescribed by the Quran.

Haddj Ibrahim El Tchido, the founder of an Islamic school, agreed, saying the fight against Boko Haram "begins in Koranic schools" because education represented "the base".

"Boko Haram is recruiting young Muslims of poor backgrounds – not just those poor in money, but also those poor in spirit and education," El Tchido told AA.

"If these children were well educated, they would not be lured by the small amounts of cash offered by the militants, which are nothing compared to human life," he added.

He went on to assert: "If children are told at an early age by their teachers and parents that you should not kill for money – even for a billion francs – they won't do it later."

Salif Mohamed, a businessman and the father of 17 children, echoed this sentiment.

"I have nine boys, all of whom are enrolled in a Koranic school," he said. "I also organize Saturday gatherings where Muslim men discuss the importance of respecting Allah and the Quran."