Islamic Movement (Nigeria)

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Islamic Movement of Nigeria
Leader	Ibrahim Zakzaky
Founded	1970s
Banned	2019
Headquarters	Husainiyya Baqiyatullah Zaria, Nigeria
Ideology	Islamism Qutbism[1][2]–Khomeinism Anti-Zionism
Religion	Shia Islam
Website
Official website
Politics of Nigeria Political parties Elections

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Arabic: الحركة الاسلامية في نيجيريا) is a banned Shia religious organization which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. It was founded by Ibrahim Zakzaky, who was inspired by the Iranian Revolution and rejects the authority of the Nigerian Government.^[3] The movement focuses on a nonviolent approach toward achieving an Islamic State, which has established some legitimacy as an alternative government. The IMN is headquartered at the spiritual center, Husainiyya Baqiyatullah, in Zaria with the group's numbers estimated around 5% of Nigeria's Muslim population of 100 million.^[3][4] While the main focus of the group is Islamic studies and enlightenment, Zakzaky has also encouraged his followers to pursue Western education and engage in charity work.^[3] Currently, the leader of the movement, Zakzaky, was in jail recently, and the group organized protests for his release that have resulted in conflict with the Government.

On 26 July 2019, the Nigerian Government banned the IMN, claiming that the group's actions were both terrorist and illegal in nature.^[3] The ban was issued a week after a protest for Zakzaky's freedom in the capital Abuja where 11 protestors, a journalist, and a police officer died.^[5] However, the group has denied being behind any of the violence and accused the government of killing peaceful protestors.^[4] It appears that the IMN has been on the receiving end of violent attacks by the Nigerian Government, most notably the Zaria Massacre and the 2014 raid on the Husainiyah. The Zaria Massacre was a well documented violent attack on the IMN resulting in the death of at least 348 civilians. In the 2014 raid on the Husainiyah, three of Zakzaky's sons were killed along with 34 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. The Islamic Human Rights Commission indicted the Nigerian Army for a human rights violation but there were no prosecutions.^[3] Human Rights Watch has declared the ban a threat to the rights of all Nigerian citizens and is an affront to the groups right to gather and peacefully protest.^[5] The group does not appear to be in compliance with the ban as Free Zakzaky Protests are still being organized on their website.^[6] The movement also gained a negative reputation by non-Shia Nigerians and by Shia secularists for their goals on turning Nigeria into an Islamic republic.^[7]