The Boko Haram group, also known as the Nigerian Taliban, is a radical Islamic sect that has launched a number of attacks across northern Nigeria. Its main target has been police stations and it aims to overthrow the government and impose extreme sharia law. Boko Haram means “Western education is a sin”, and the group is determined to outlaw it.

Their leader, a wealthy, “highly educated”, Mercedes-driving Muslim fundamentalist, died in police custody on Thursday. But Mohammed Yusuf’s background doesn’t explain his primitive medieval views. In an interview with the BBC, he espoused some interesting views, to say the least:

In an interview with the BBC before he was killed, Mr Yusuf, 39, said such education “spoils the belief in one God”.

“There are prominent Islamic preachers who have seen and understood that the present Western-style education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our beliefs in Islam,” he said.

“Like rain. We believe it is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun that condenses and becomes rain.

“Like saying the world is a sphere. If it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah, we reject it. We also reject the theory of Darwinism.”

He’s right of course. It’s absolutely preposterous to believe that rain is not a mysterious gift from god! And like the world isn’t flat! Sure… Look – it may be a slightly bigger stretch to believe that god uniquely created every living thing on earth and minutely controls the activities of every single living cell – but he’s a religious man so he must be right.