It has been a deadly start to the year in Nigeria, where jihadist organisation Boko Haram and other militias murdered over 220 people in January alone. Their atrocities continue more than a decade after the Chibok girls were abducted, exposing leadership and policy failures in parts of western Africa. Boko Haram’s ideology — rooted in a grotesque distortion of Islam — declares education forbidden. The group targets women’s empowerment through violence, knowing that education is key to a just society.
Elsewhere in the wider Muslim world, similar mistakes are being made — 1.4mn girls are currently barred from classrooms in Afghanistan, and similar restrictions are unfolding in Libya and Syria, where morality police and curriculum purges are erasing women’s access to education.
As a proud African and Muslim leader, I know what’s at stake. Boko Haram, besides being responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, has forced girls into marriages, and even groomed them into committing suicide attacks.
African governments like mine have promised to protect citizens from such violence. Only last summer, the African Union and the Multinational Joint Task Force worked to oust Boko Haram from the Lake Chad Basin. Yet internal corruption and fragmented responses allowed the militants to regroup and expand into Cameroon, Niger and elsewhere in western Africa. They are bolstered by global jihadist networks like al-Qaeda and Isis.
If Muslim-majority countries falter now, the consequences could be catastrophic. Africa’s struggle underscores a hard truth: force alone fails. Military action can disrupt terrorist operations, but victory demands a broader strategy — peacebuilding, economic stability and theological dialogue. We must engage with those that have been radicalised: challenging extremist narratives and offering pathways back into society. Studies show that education and faith-based support can help fighters abandon radical ideologies, cutting terrorism off at its source. Only by addressing the grievances that fuel extremism can Africa and the wider Muslim world forge a sustainable path to peace.
An example of that broader vision came to life last month in Islamabad, where Islamic scholars, political leaders and activists convened for the International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities. Organised by the Muslim World League under secretary-general Sheikh Mohammad Al-Issa, the event included voices like Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and culminated in the historic Islamabad Declaration, which reclaims Islam’s core principles by declaring girls’ education not just a religious obligation but a cornerstone of societal progress. More than rhetoric, it envisions unprecedented collaboration between Muslim nations, international organisations, and educational institutions to counter jihadist ideologies.
However, the Muslim world cannot fight this battle alone. Africa’s experience illustrates the cost of disunity. In Nigeria, some faith leaders preached forgiveness and reintegration, but without broad support, those efforts faltered, leading to a decade of terror and lost potential for millions of girls. Co-ordinated resolve can help stem the tide of extremism.
The battle for girls’ education is a battle for dignity, opportunity and justice. An educated girl strengthens her community and contributes to her nation’s growth. Denying that violates her rights and stalls societal progress.
From Nigeria to Afghanistan, the message is clear: no girl’s potential should be extinguished in the shadows. The Muslim world has a chance to lead and make education a universal right rather than a privilege. But it demands more than words; it requires determined engagement from governments, faith leaders and civil society.
The writer is deputy majority leader in Gambia’s National Assembly
Source: Financial Times
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