Islamist militants slaughter 50 sleeping college students in Nigeria......

[dimbear]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57605175/islamic-militants-slaughter-50-sleeping-college-students-in-nigeria/

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Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college in the dead of night, gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms, the school's provost said, reporting the latest violence in northeastern Nigeria's ongoing Islamic uprising.

As many as 50 students may have been killed in the assault that began at about 1 a.m. Sunday in rural Gujba, Provost Molima Idi Mato of Yobe State College of Agriculture, told The Associated Press.
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What's this doing here, you ask? The oddest fact about this horror is that it isn't sectarian violence. It's doctrinal violence. The victims are just as Muslim as their murderers, they were killed for trying to get an education. Boko Haram means literally "western education is forbidden."

[snagglepuss]

1. Is this any different than sunni killing shia elsewhere?

[rug]

2. Its founder also believed the earth is flat. Literally.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8172270.stm

[cbayer]

3. I think the distinction you make is unclear.

While the name does mean what you say, this is an extremist rebel group that wants to establish an Islamist state. Part of that would be the elimination of western education, but I'm not sure that gives a direct link to the school as a target.

It looks like they attacked the male dorms and left the female dorm alone. It this were purely doctrinal, it would seem that the female dorm would be the first to go.

It's an agricultural school and they are trying to drive the farmers out of the region.

So, I challenge your assumption here. It's sectarian.

[dimbear]

4. I must understand the word differently than you do. Violence by Muslims against Muslims

because they were studying agriculture and studying is wrong seems to me to be doctrinal. That's not the key point, the key point is it's a horror show.

No clue why they let the women be. Might be considered immodest to be killing sleeping women in the middle of the night.

[cbayer]

5. Agree that the key point is that it is a horror show.

Whether it is sectarian or doctrinal seems relatively irrelevant.

[Hydepier]

6. What part of the militant Muslin religion do you find

"Sectarian"?

Please explain.

Islamist militants slaughter 50 sleeping college students"

Sectarian?

[cbayer]

7. Boko Haram is a sect.

[Warren Stupidity]

8. You are splitting hairs.

Doctrinal differences frequently (as in almost always) motivate religious schisms that result in sectarian violence. However the point was that this was not, for example sunni v shia violence, this was an attack against muslims by muslims, of the same 'sect', for disobedience. An example of sectarian violence occurs just about daily in Iraq, and is in part fueling the Syrian Civil War. This, as the OP notes, seems to be different. Your other point re the women students seems to be simply unsubstantiated conjecture on your part.

[cbayer]

9. I am not the one who made the distinction. The member

who posted this story is.

Muslims attack muslims frequently and it is generally referred to as sectarian. When sunnis attack shia, that's muslim against muslim.

I don't see how this in any different. It is the member who posted it that made the unsubstantiated conjecture. I just pointed out that they spared the women. Since this group want strict adherence to sharia law, women in an academic institution would most likely be anathema to them.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Were sunnis attacking shia you would have a point.

So were they?

For sectarian violence to be operative in this incident there would have to be at least two sects involved. So which two sects were involved in this incident?

[cbayer]

11. Boko Haram is an extremist muslim sect.

The are dangerous, murderous rebels who are fighting a war against more mainstream and secular institutions within Nigeria.

They want to establish an Islamic caliphate and institute Sharia law.

Don't want to call that sectarian? That's ok by me.

Let's just call it terrorism then and take religion out of it completely.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. You clearly do not understand the meaning of the term "sectarian violence".

And you also clearly intend to have the last word. So please proceed.

[hrmjustin]

13. They got killed because they were seeking an education. sick world we live in.

[dimbear]

14. A little update.........

The death toll may go somewhat higher as students who were wounded and later died in the surrounding forest are found.

The Boko Haram militants didn't speak to the students they rounded up. Since the students come from all parts of the country, clearly they would represent different sects of Islam, the militants didn't care about that. They only cared that they were students.

Africa desperately needs agricultural education. Africa feeds itself only with grave difficulty and enormous labor. Striking against agricultural education is striking at the heart of Africa. Those who do so have broken minds.

What has broken their minds? What is the common thread among the militants?

Your turn.

[cbayer]

15. The common thread is that they are militant, extremist murderers

without any apparent conscience.

Your turn.