Much of the media coverage we experience today regarding Muslims and Islam circles around the term jihad. Often, the term “jihadist” is tagged to groups of individuals that employee extreme terrorist tactics. As a result, through Western eyes, jihad is violent Islam; Islam as a religion encourages practitioners to engage in jihad via terrorism. While many Muslims do emphasize jihad as an important aspect of their faith, in many cases, it does not imply violence or terrorism. Jihad was not originally intended to be a rationale for the violent spread of Islam, including acts of terrorism; however, the use of jihad as a justification for such violence resulted from historical contexts. Jihad, as it appears in most Western thought, can be defined
…show more content…
This emphasizes, first, the need for expressing jihad in a peaceful way and, second, an element of self-defense. The idea of self-defense can be applied to each of the steps (heart, tongue, mind, sword). Individuals can apply jihad to the devil himself, who is trying to compromise their heart; to someone who is trying to slander them with their tongue; to changing social climates, which challenge them to think more deeply about how to live correctly; and to someone who is trying to physically harm them by the sword. Much like the idea of evil, the idea of self-defense in these areas has evolved through time. For instance, early Muslims arguably experienced more struggles of the heart and mind, as they were trying to establish a way of life in their faith …show more content…
Most literally, jihad means a struggle for one’s own faith. This definition has been applied to many aspects of Islamic life including faith itself, the Qur’an, the hadith, and the Sharia. Initially, these applications of jihad were intended not as a justification for the vicious spread and protection of Islam. Jihad is shown here to be a means through which the Muslim community defends itself as a whole. Individuals can use jihad to protect one’s heart against the devil or against other individuals who intend to harm the image of another. The Muslim community can use jihad to defend its right to exist. None of these applications of jihad historically does not imply violence; as long as an individual is experiencing a struggle for God, he or she is participating in jihad
This emphasizes, first, the need for expressing jihad in a peaceful way and, second, an element of self-defense. The idea of self-defense can be applied to each of the steps (heart, tongue, mind, sword). Individuals can apply jihad to the devil himself, who is trying to compromise their heart; to someone who is trying to slander them with their tongue; to changing social climates, which challenge them to think more deeply about how to live correctly; and to someone who is trying to physically harm them by the sword. Much like the idea of evil, the idea of self-defense in these areas has evolved through time. For instance, early Muslims arguably experienced more struggles of the heart and mind, as they were trying to establish a way of life in their faith …show more content…
Most literally, jihad means a struggle for one’s own faith. This definition has been applied to many aspects of Islamic life including faith itself, the Qur’an, the hadith, and the Sharia. Initially, these applications of jihad were intended not as a justification for the vicious spread and protection of Islam. Jihad is shown here to be a means through which the Muslim community defends itself as a whole. Individuals can use jihad to protect one’s heart against the devil or against other individuals who intend to harm the image of another. The Muslim community can use jihad to defend its right to exist. None of these applications of jihad historically does not imply violence; as long as an individual is experiencing a struggle for God, he or she is participating in jihad