Religious scholars and experts denounce JNIM's terror campaign in Africa

KABUL -- As al-Qaeda's African affiliate, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), continues its reign of terror across the Sahel, religious scholars are speaking out against its fundamental betrayal of Islamic principles.

"Islam is a moderate religion, and extremism has no place in it," Herat-based religious scholar Mawlawi Mohammaduddin Moahed told Salaam Times.

"For decades, al-Qaeda has portrayed itself as a defender of Islam, yet it has committed the greatest betrayals against the religion through groups like JNIM," he said, particularly through the taking of innocent lives.

JNIM operates across parts of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and has expanded southward into parts of Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

The group has engaged in targeted assassinations, kidnappings and large-scale military operations, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

Its signature tactic is remote violence using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), land mines, rockets and mortar attacks.

Beyond the devastating civilian toll documented in recent months, JNIM has implemented a system of harsh governance in territories under its control, imposing extreme interpretations of Islamic law through brutal enforcement.

The group systematically destroys infrastructure, including government facilities, schools and telecommunications installations to exert control across the region, according to ACLED.

In controlled territories, JNIM imposes embargoes and blockades on towns perceived as non-compliant.

It also traffics in fuel and firearms, collects zakat (charitable giving) and taxes passing convoys to fund its operations, according to a 2024 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.

Deadly attacks on civilians

"What al-Qaeda truly stands for is reflected in the actions of its affiliated groups in Africa," Herat-based political analyst Abdul Rashid Rasouli told Salaam Times.

"Throughout its existence, al-Qaeda has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks against civilians in various countries," he said, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Al-Qaeda serves as the "parent organization for other terrorist groups," he added, including al-Shabaab in the Horn of Africa.

By associating such brutal actions with Islam, al-Qaeda has damaged the global perception of Muslims, said Afghan civil society activist Sayed Ashraf Sadaat, who is based in Sweden.

"Al-Qaeda has no right to link its activities to Islamic values," he told Salaam Times.

"Al-Qaeda means the September 11 attacks," he said.

"It means the massacre of innocent people in the Middle East and Africa. It means extremism and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the true face of al-Qaeda, and it has nothing to do with Islam."