What Jihad is:
• The Arabic word Jihad is often translated as holy war,
but a more accurate translation is holy struggle. Islamic scholars say
the term holy war was actually coined in Europe during the Crusades to
mean a war against the Muslims.
• In a purely linguistic sense, the word Jihad means
struggling or striving. There are two different, unrelated words which
mean war.
• In a religious sense, as described by the Koran and teachings of
the Prophet Mohammed, Jihad means striving for the benefit of the
community or the restraint of personal sins. It can refer to internal as
well as external efforts to be a good Muslim, or believer. Scholars say
it primarily refers to efforts to improve oneself.
• Jihad is a religious duty.
• If Jihad is required to protect the faith against others,
it can be performed using anything from legal, diplomatic and economic
to political means. If there is no peaceful alternative, Islam also
allows the use of force, but there are strict rules of engagement.
Innocents -- such as women, children, or invalids -- must never be
harmed, and any peaceful overtures from the enemy must be accepted.
• Military action is therefore only one means of Jihad, and
is very rare. To highlight this point, the Prophet Mohammed told his
followers returning from a military campaign: "This day we have
returned from the minor Jihad to the major Jihad,"
which he said meant returning from armed battle to the peaceful battle
for self-control and betterment.
• In case military action appears necessary, not everyone can
declare Jihad. The religious military campaign has to be declared
by a proper authority, advised by scholars, who say the religion and
people are under threat and violence is imperative to defend them. The
concept of "just war" is very important.
• The concept of Jihad has been hijacked by many political
and religious groups over the ages in a bid to justify various forms of
violence. In most cases, Islamic splinter groups invoked Jihad to
fight against the established Islamic order. Scholars says this misuse
of Jihad contradicts Islam.
• Examples of sanctioned military Jihad include the
Muslims' defensive battles against the Crusaders in medieval times, and
before that some responses by Muslims against Byzantine and Persian
attacks during the period of the early Islamic conquests.
What Jihad is not
• Jihad is not a violent concept.
• Jihad is not a declaration of war against other
religions. It is worth noting that the Koran specifically refers to Jews
and Christians as "people of the book" who should be protected
and respected. All three faiths worship the same God. Allah is just the
Arabic word for God, and is used by Christian Arabs as well as Muslims.
• Military action in the name of Islam has not been common in the
history of Islam. Scholars says most calls for violent Jihad are
not sanctioned by Islam.
• Warfare in the name of God is not unique to Islam. Other faiths
throughout the world have waged wars with religious justifications.
Source: REUTERS
This article previously appeared in The
Times of India on Thursday, November 22, 2001.
