Comparative analysis of DAESH and Boko Haram terrorist organizations

The seeds of conflict were sown among Muslims, the followers of world's second largest religion, after the death of Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. With the desire to come to power and gain political interests, some of the schools of thought that emerged to interpret Islam after the Age of Bliss have adopted views that are completely opposite to the essence of Islam, which is a religion of love and peace. Salafism and Wahhabism are among these schools of thought. Powerful western countries have begun to use these two sects and their supporters for their own interests especially after the Cold War. Lacking the means of production, these organizations, undoubtedly, cannot exist and gain power without the support of the state behind them. DAESH in the Middle East and Boko Haram in Africa emerged within the framework of these aspects, with the polarizing foreign policy initiated by the USA after the September 11 attack. This study aims to set forth the similarities and differences between DAESH and Boko Haram organizations, located in different continents, but adopting the same views. It has been confirmed that these organizations have many similar characteristics and differences, in addition to the Salafism and Wahhabism that constitute the school of thought for both organizations. This study puts forth that although the said organizations claim that their actions are based on the religion of Islam, their actions conflict with Islamic sensitivity, and they are rather for interest, framed as a political movement with religious motifs. Keywords: DAESH, Boko Haram, Terror, Salafism, Wahhabism.