Religious violence and democracy in Niger

Deadly attacks on Christians and mounting resistance to secularism in Niger raise the question of whether the Muslim-majority country is turning away from democracy and toward a repressive form of Shari’a law.The author argues that religious extremism in Niger has largely external roots and that domestic religious leaders are not pursuing a revolutionary agenda, even though they are increasingly involved in organizing social movements. The foreign nature of terrorist threats may even help preserve democracy by raising nationalist support for the state. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract]