ned and broadened shari’a reflect the disappointments some have felt with the version of shari’a that was restored in 1999. These desires also reflect the deeply unsettled position of shari’a in Northern Nigerian society and in the Federal Republic of Nigeria; in this way Boko Haram is part of a struggle that goes back more than 200 years.
Alex Thurston is a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at Northwestern University. For 2011-2012, he is conducting dissertation fieldwork in Northern Nigeria. He blogs at http://sahelblog.wordpress.com.