Jihad is an Arabic word that means “exerted effort”. It is mentioned in the Qur’an and projected as exerting effort to change one’s self to the better which is seen as each person’s most difficult jihad. This concept of jihad and the betterment of one’s self is almost unknown to non-Muslims specially westerners who refer to jihad as the holy war and terrorism.
What people fail to realize is the multi dimensions of jihad which consists of two parts: the greater jihad which is actually considered the highest form of jihad and used in a moral, ethical, and spiritual sense. Jihad is viewed by Muslims as the struggle to overcome personal temptations and worldly temptation and the struggle to becoming an overall better Muslim. And although this greater form of jihad is the one widely accepted by Muslims, it is often overlooked by everyone else. The second part of jihad is the lesser jihad which includes fighting injustice and oppression against Islamic communities and beliefs and this jihad was applied when early Muslims were being prosecuted and driven out of their lands, this is mentioned in the Qur’an in different places such as "God does not forbid you, regarding those (non-Muslims) who did not fight you because of your religion, and who did not drive you out of your land, that you be good to them and treat them justly. Allah only forbids you regarding those who fought you because of your religion and drove you out of your homes, and came to the help of those who drove you out, that you should befriend them. Any of you who befriend them (and be their allies) are transgressors. (60:8-9)” and "They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, for no cause except that they say ‘Our Lord is Allah.' Did not Al...
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...debates, Platonic ideals nor Aristotelian diplomacy. But it knows the dialogue of bullets, the ideals of assassination, bombing, and destruction, and the diplomacy of the cannon and machine-gun. The young came to prepare themselves for Jihad commanded by the majestic Allah’s order in the holy Koran.”
There is a difference between what the Qur’an teaches and what these radical Muslim’s teach. They hijacked the religion and made it into something different to achieve their political goals. They influence a lot of Muslims who are ignorant and illiterate and use scare tactics into making then believe that the only way to be a good Muslim is to follow their ideology.
Many Muslims however don’t agree with their ideology or goals and oppose their violence and often they are labeled as kuffar for that and that’s why many chose to not oppose them or try to stop them.
Lewis clearly and entirely pointed out key events explaining the choices to be made by the people of the Islamic faith. This paper highlighted just a few of the many key events. Lewis says, “Most Muslims are not fundamentalists, and most fundamentalists are not terrorists, but most present-day terrorists are Muslims and proudly identify themselves as such.” He also expertly points out, “Terrorism requires only a few. Obviously the West must defend itself by whatever means will be effective. But in devising means to fight the terrorists, it would surely be useful to understand the forces that drive them.”(Lewis. Introduction) In the end, I agree with and commend Bernard Lewis on pointing out that a single religion cannot be blamed for the acts of small groups of radicals.
Thomas W. Lippman gives an introduction to the Muslim world in the book Understanding Islam. He has traveled throughout the Islamic world as Washington Post bureau chief for the Middle East, and as a correspondent in Indochina. This gave him, in his own words, "sharp insight into the complexities of that turbulent region." However, the purpose of the book is not to produce a critical or controversial interpretation of Islamic scripture. It is instead to give the American layman an broad understanding of a religion that is highly misunderstood by many Americans. In this way he dispels many myths about "Muslim militants," and the otherwise untrue perception of Islamic violence. In this way the American reader will become more knowledgeable about an otherwise unfamiliar topic. However, the most significant element of Lippman’s book is that it presents Islam in a simple way that makes the reader feels his awareness rise after each chapter. This encourages him to continue learning about the world’s youngest major religion. Understanding Islam dispels many misconceptions about the Muslim world, and presents the subject in a way that urges his reader to further his understanding of Islam through continued study.
Violent Jihad as a struggle against one’s enemies has its root in [these] situations. When the Islamic religion spread over the region, Jihad became a religious tenet and assumed the form of a peaceful, internal struggle to strive for the good and reject the evil in one’s action. Violent, external conflict was never r...
Many terrorists believe that their religion is the only true religion, and they use it to justify violence (“Islamic Terrorism”). Most Muslim terrorists follow Jihad. Jihad is an Islamic perception that the way to integrate their religion is by massive force (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Jihad is considered the “sixth pillar” of faith in Islam because it is the constant fight towards good. It is the idea of focusing on God and turning away from those that oppose God (David E. Long, 91). The terrorists believe that their religion is what everyone should follow, so they would naturally require personnel in power in Muslim states to either convert to their religion or resign from their terms. They will first threaten a leader that if they do not change, the terrorists will use violence. Sometimes, violent acts come about without any warning or previous threats (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Islam is a proselytizing religion, which means it uses violence to convert people to its faith. This is because, in the ...
According to the Quran and supporting Islamic texts, jihad means striving. However, there are several words and phrases, that when coupled with jihad, display a variety of sentiments. The phrase fi sabil Allah, "in God's path," can be interpreted as fighting for the sake of God. When paired with the word ribat, jihad is related to warfare or pious doings/activism (Bonner 2006). Jihad represents a fight that has provided Muslims with a solid base of military efficiency demonstrated historically in early Islam.
Religious leaders preach with such zeal and assuredness that their interpretations do not leave any room for questioning. This can be a reassuring factor to somebody who is scrutinizing their place in society. According to Hofmann and Dawson, the violent acts are acceptable under the teachings of these charismatic leaders because they are professed to be divinely inspired and acted upon by God’s will (Hofmann & Dawson 2013?, 350). These teachings performed by clerics can be distributed around the world via the internet and have become an effective strategy in recruiting people to their cause. This strategy forms the basis of a terrorist cell which can work independently of the organization while still maintaining its overall goals. This “leaderless resistance” is a term coined by a preeminent figure in the white supremacist movement (Hoffman 2006, 115). It has been adopted by many of the existing terrorist organizations including al Qaeda and has proven an effective tactic. Ironically, it has provided the leaders of terrorist groups an avenue to expand their jihadist movement to an ever increasing global
...” (Woodward, 2001, p. 66). Moreover, Mark Gould (2005) argues that it is true that Jihad exists in Islam, but Muslims are not to use violence in all situations. (p. 16) “For example: Muslims are simply reacting to external impingement on Muslim lands.” Likewise, force cannot be used unless when reacting to a articular incident. (Gould, 2005, p. 16).
231). Jihad is an ideology that consists of using violence whenever the religion of Islam is being threatened or targeted by others, and it proposes that it is the obligation of the followers of such religion to commit those violent acts (Locicero & Sinclair, 2008, pg. 231). Through the use of Jihad, Osama Bin Laden was able to use religion as his primary tool to not only convince others to be willing to risk their lives when conducting terrorists acts on behalf of Islam, but it also allowed the organization to inspire and recruit new members (Locicero & Sinclair, 2008, pg. 231).
The religion of Islam garners large amounts attention. Many believe it is a violent and backwards religion. Since 9/11, "Islamic reform" has become an all-purpose phrase: equally a western impulse to protect itself from Muslim violence and a humanist notion aimed at assisting voiceless Muslims (Eteraz1). Extreme displays of Islamic faith such as the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 have generated negative stereotypes about Islam as a religion. These stereotypes of violence and backwards thinking have been further perpetuated by even more recent examples of extremism by Muslim terrorists. Although most Muslims are peaceful and do not endorse the violence of their Muslim brethren, there are some who believe it is their responsibility to punish those who do not adhere to Islam. This religion is no stranger to divinely motivated warfare. Islam was founded on the belief that it is excusable to harm others in the name of Allah. The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, holds many of these beliefs. Al Qaeda's modern origins go back to Wahhabism, named after the revivalist movement founded by Muhammad Ibn'Abd al-Wahhab in 1744. Wahhab called for a return to a pure and unadulterated form of Islam closer to the ideals of the Prophet (Blond 3). Recently a movement is being made to reform and reinterpret Islam not just as a religion, but also as a culture. The reformation of Islam by its religious authorities and will yield a more passive interpretation of Islam, therefor deterring Islamic extremism and producing a more diplomatic faith.
Christianity has been in America since the Colonial Era (1600’s - 1700’s), and for over three centuries has dominated and deeply engrained itself into American Society . Islam, however, has only been introduced recently, and this has caused Islamic Believers (or Muslims) residing in America to be misinterpreted. After the September 11 bombings in 2001, there was a huge hatred for Muslims as they were interpreted as a religion that promotes destruction in the name of ‘Jihad’, or as it is often mistranslated as ‘Holy war’ . Although, the meaning of ‘Jihad’ is much wider than just ‘Holy war’, it is an internal struggle, within each Muslim, “…to be a good Muslim as well as advance the cause of Islam.” The Western understanding of ‘jihad’ however has been twisted to become related to terrorism. Whereas, Christians claim to promote the qualities of hard-work, honesty and moderation, and are therefore highly thought of in American Society, not only because of their supposed all encompassing teachings, but also because of their dominance as a religion in the Western World.
The misinterpretations of these verses states Islam characteristically brutal by the commentators of Islam and preferential individuals.
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. It is currently the second largest religion in the world today. Its beliefs come from the Qur'an which literally means "the recitation" which is believed to be a literal transcription of the word of God. Its main prophet is named Muhammad who began Islam by speaking with the angel Gabriel in a cave during his meditation and then acting as an instrument of God to help write the Qur’an. Muhammad then spread Islam to the scattered tribes of Arabia by becoming the leader of Yathrib and using his wonderful leadership abilities to then grow his influence over virtually all of Arabia. Muhammad is known by Muslims to be the seal of the profits because no profits after Muhammad should be considered legitimate. Muhammad also left behind the Hadith or “tradition” which is a collection of writings compiled of reports of Muhammad’s actions as leader of Yathrib. These reports are used as a more specific code of ethics in day to day life and from these reports the 5 Pillars of Islam are derived (Smith 160). Although Islam shares many similarities to Judaism and Christianity it is often viewed in the US with hate derived from preconceived notions following the attack on September 11th 2001. This paper seeks to provide an overview of Islam’s history as well as its two major sects and 5 main pillars to remove preconceived notions and provide a glance into the minds of the Islamic people.
Islam never did and never will allow terrorism to be a part of the religion, guide women to be oppressed, or permit the followers to have a lack of freedom. Even though only some of the myths of Islam are listed, I know there are other people who believe in many more misunderstandings due to their lack of knowledge about the religion. 1.6 billion people, which is 23% of the population follow this religion for a reason; they believe that this religion is comprised with love, compassion, and peace amongst the sisters and brothers of Islam.
So then why that unwanted attraction? Maybe Islam is their getaway to shield themselves from any tangle disastrous situation and being able to escape stating that they are doing it for the good for their religion. Well they forget one thing that peace is not the source of evil. This shows their unwanted relationship with Allah. We would never be abl...
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.