WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Most Nigerians reject the anti-Western rhetoric of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and support greater interaction with the West, surveys show.
About 60 percent of Nigerians said in August 2011 they believed greater interaction with the West would be more a benefit than a threat, and in Boko Haram's home base, northeast Nigeria, 66 percent said the same, Gallup reports. In other northern regions, home to many Muslims, majorities of residents said they believed greater interaction with the West would be more a benefit than a threat.
In the predominantly Christian south, about 80 percent said they shared that view.
Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," has killed more than 935 people since 2009, while the Nigerian newspaper Vanguard says the group has killed more than 2,000 people in northern Nigeria.
Related
The group wants Shariah law throughout Nigeria.
An April 2010 survey found 64 percent in the northeast said Shariah law should be a source, but not the only source, of legislation, while 36 percent said Shariah law should not be a source of legislation.
In the south, most said Shariah law should not be a source of legislation. For the country as a whole, 51 percent said it should not be a source of legislation, while 37 percent said it should be a source, but not the only source, of legislation, and 13 percent said it must be the only source of legislation.
Survey results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 people conducted in April 2010 and August 2011 in Nigeria. The margin of error is 3.9 percentage points.
