The Changing Face of Jihad

Mention the word 'jihad' to most people in the West and they will immediately conjure up a bunch of bloodthirsty fanatics, intent on murder and mayhem. To an extent, they would be justified in this supposition. This is precisely how jihad is being interpreted by Osama Bin Laden and his followers. Ironically, the literal translation of 'jihad' is 'holy war'; but, in today's context - it is holy only in the warped minds of its protagonists.

The fundamentalists' interpretation of jihad has led many non-Muslims to believe that Islam is a religion whose principle tenets involve revenge and retribution. This is far from the truth, however. The Koran sets clear boundaries on the use of vio­lence. Historically, Sunni religious scholars have insisted that local battles be­tween Muslims and their enemies be fought locally and not as a jihad, in which all able-bodied Muslims would be required to participate. They have argued, as many still do, that a true jihad requires the leadership of a caliph, an office that currently does not exist. Indiscriminate violence - the killing of noncombatants, women, and children - and, especially the killing of fellow Muslims, has been almost universally condemned throughout most of the history of Islam.

Wait a minute. Most of the people killed by the insurgents in Iraq, for example, are fellow Muslims. How can that possibly be justified? That, in fact, has been one of the "achievements" of Al Qaeda and the diverse terrorist outfits it has spawned. They have been able to forge an ideology that loosens the shackles on jihad and justifies indiscriminate violence, including the killing of Muslims.

Although Osama Bin Laden is the popular poster boy of militant Islam, that honor should really go to Sayyid Qutb - the enormously influential Islamist thinker of the past century. Qutb was the most influential advocatem in modern times, of jihad. He emphasized that, not only was it legitimate to violently resist regimes that claim to be Muslim, but whose implementation of Islamic precepts was judged to be imperfect; it was a sacred obligation.