Nigeria has had a long history of ethnic conflict and cultural divisions, leading to widespread mistrust and unrest. Muslims make up the majority of the population, while Christians and indigenous people make up the rest. There is not only a religious divide, but also an ethnic divide between Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani and Igbo. There are constant struggles for power and influence. Part of the unrest arose in the form of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Over the past four years this group has committed countless atrocities with huge numbers of deaths. As a Muslim extremist group, Boko Haram's goal is to eradicate Western influence and restore strict and fundamental Muslim rule and Shari'a law. Boko Haram was founded as an indigenous group that initially ran a religious compound with a mosque and a school where many families enrolled their children. The group used the center to recruit "future jihadists" and it was a stepping stone towards the group's transformation into a jihadist group in 2009. The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic it means "People engaged in the propagation of the teachings of the Prophet and Jihad" (Who are the Islamists of Boko Haram in Nigeria?), whose Hausa name is Boko Haram or "Western education is sinful" (Chothia). They seek to establish a “pure” Islamic state governed by sharia law that eliminates Westernization. They are known to have attacked “Christians and government targets, bombed churches, attacked schools and police stations, kidnapped Western tourists, but have also murdered members of the 'Islamic establishment' (Sergie). violence and murder caused around 10,000 deaths between 2002 and 2013. Chris Kwaja, Nigerian university researcher...... half of the document ......014 , Chris. “The Pernicious Factors of Ethno-Religious Conflict in Nigeria, July 2011. Africa Security Brief.” Network. April 25, 2014.NCTC. “Boko Haram.” 2014. The National Counterterrorism Center. Network. April 2, 2014. Nossiter, Adam. “Scores die as fighters battle Nigerian police.” July 27, 2009. The New York Times. Network. 25 April 2014. Contorno, Il Mondo. “Spitting in the Face of Peace: The Continuing Objectives of Boko Haram.” April 18, 2013. The outline of the world. Network. 25 April 2014.Owolade, Femi. “Boko Haram: How a Militant Islamic Group Emerged in Nigeria.” March 27, 2014. Gate Stone Institute. Network. April 2, 2014. Pike, John. “Wahhabi.” April 27, 2005. Global Security. Network. April 4, 2014.Sergie, Mohammed Aly. “Boko Haram.” February 26, 2014. Council on Foreign Relations. Network. April 2, 2014.Stanley, Trevor. "Takfir." 2005. PWHCE. Network. April 4 2014.