Jihad Essay

By understanding the historical narrative of the Crusades and the Islamic tradition of Jihad or holy war, it can be deduced that the philosophical concept of holy war does not make sense today as international society and affairs are governed by political ideologies and ethnic identity. Therefore, it can be suggested that the Islamic form of holy war society observes today is a transformed concept that mixes Islamic doctrine with an ethnic community of Muslims that have adopted post-World War II

The Holy of Holy Wars: Jihad In light of recent events in the global community, one word that is used frequently but rarely truly understood is the Islamic word Jihad. Jihad has become a very volatile word, so it is necessary that those who use it should understand exactly what it means, what it entails, and what significance it has in current global events. There are many interpretations of the word Jihad, but the most common literal translation from Arabic to English is "struggle." Many

This paper examines the concept of jihad in Islamic tradition and theology, the study unveils the logical and hermeneutical presuppositions of Islam in upholding the doctrine of jihad in the 21st century. As a universalistic religion with the ultimate aim of converting the entire world and eliminating other religions, Islam uses jihad as the last option either in self- defence, or territorial expansion. Jihad may mean self-purification in theory, but for political Islam, it is a strategy to defeat

Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism are Reshaping the world, written by Benjamin Barber, is an extremely interesting book focusing on a world that consists of two dominating forces, both bringing together and tearing the world apart as we know it. These forces Barber labels as Jihad and McWorld. “Jihad” is based on separatism, a world in which cultures are threatened by other cultures different then their own. The retribalization in which groups are going to war with each other and producing

What is the jihad? This is the question that Malise Ruthven tries to answer in the final chapter of his book, Islam A Very Short Introduction. The jihad is a highly complex and misunderstood concept due to the fact that some terrorist groups use it as the motivation for their acts of violence. Many people think that the jihad is a holy war, when it actually means “struggle” (126). The title of the final chapter is the “The Two Jihads”. This title refers to the two aspects of the jihad, the lesser

September 11 and the Ethics of Jihad            The Western world has long been aware of the anti-Jewish, anti-Christian, and anti-American rhetoric taught by extremist Muslim groups. The concept of jihad existed as a vague notion: one of those Islamic things; something to do with the disputes in the Middle East. On September 11, 2001, the topic suddenly gained paramount importance in the mind of the common man.   "I will shed my blood for you, Oh Palestine, take back the land that

Islam, Terrorism, Jihad and Media A bomb goes off in a marketplace in Tel Aviv. A suicide bomber launches himself in a bus full of people in the street of Baghdad. Foreign tourists get massacred at a holiday resort in Nairobi, Kenya. This can go on and on. We all have heard this kind of pathetic news in the media. These kinds of incidents are widely known as Islamic terrorism according to the western media. All such incidents have come to be identified with the religion of Islam. Such incidents

My definition or impression of the word “Jihad” before I watch these videos is a struggle, or a war, or a fight between someone. Video 1: Pamela Gellar on CNN (Play the first 10 mins.) 2. How does Ms. Geller define “Jihad”? In the video Ms. Geller defines “Jihad” as in any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel, defeat jihad. 3. How does she contend that her definition is central to Islam? Pamela Geller argues that her definition is central

The concept of Jihad was not widely known in the western world before the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Since then, the word has been woven into what our media and government feed us along with notions of Terrorism, Suicide Bombings, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, and now, Jihad. Our society hears exhortations resounding from the Middle East calling the people to rise up in Jihad and beat back the imperialist Americans. Yet, if we try to peel back all of these complex

The Jihad is probably one of the most misunderstood and feared terms in modern day America. Ever since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11th, 2001, the Muslim religious duty of Jihad has had only negative connotations. Of course, seeing two trademark buildings collapsed and mangled on the groundwith thousands dead all in the name of religion would have anyone jump to a negative conclusion. But what most people don’t understand is that the meaning of the term “Jihad”