Last Name 1
First Name
Dr. Martin
English 1301.SY1
5 December 2011
Jihad in Islam: East vs. West
As we all have learned, there are always two sides to every story. In the case of Islam, there are two sides that fervently battle over who is right and who is wrong, who is taking action in self-defense or who is attacking, and most importantly, how the ideology of Islam is portrayed. One the one hand, perception drives all conceptions of Islam, due to a ten year war, perpetuation of stereotypes in the media, and one of the most destructive acts in modern history committed on United States soil, 9/11. On the other hand, Islam is over a thousand years of knowledge and beliefs stemming from the teaching of Islam’s last Prophet, Muhammad, carried through the generations as an unchanging message that Allah (God) is present in this world. Those who are Muslim (the term for those who believe in Islam) understand the true nature and doctrines of Islam, while those on the outside only see the actions of those few that claim to fight in the Islam’s name, while not fully understanding the true nature of this religion. While most of Islam seems to be misconstrued by those who do not share in its beliefs, the term that seems to have the most misunderstanding is jihad. What is the root of this misconception about jihad, and why does it seem to be on everyone’s lips when talking about Islam? While in the West it is seen as one thing, in reality it means another, in definition and in practice. By taking a closer look at each of these more closely, we may begin to find what is real, and what is driven by perception.
To first understand where the misconception about jihad is, careful attention must be paid to its definition. [KM1]The Oxford English Dictionary, the source for many in the Western academic world, defines jihad as, “a religious war of Muslims against unbelievers, inculcated as a duty by the Qur'an and traditions.” To Westerners, this would seem as an accurate description as to what jihad is, for their perceptions deem it to be as such. This seemingly undeniable definition that the Western world has for “jihad” comes from multiple, and daresay powerful mediums. The first, known worldwide simply as “9/11,” was the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon by the terror organization Al-Qaeda, in which thousands of American men, women, and children died. The now-deceased leader of this group, Osama Bin Laden stated, in response to a question in a CNN interview with Peter Arnett, “[We] declared jihad against the U.S. government, because the U.S. government is unjust, criminal, and tyrannical…for this…we have declared jihad against the U.S. because in our religion it is our duty to make jihad…. ” In this way, the West, in particular the United States, sees this declaration of jihad to mean a war, and in particular, a war driven by the ideology of this group. This interview with Osama Bin Laden also points to the second medium which drives the misconception of jihad, and that is through the media. While this definition does have the backing of perception of an entire nation’s media, it does not mean that it is true.In fact, sociologist Arshad Khan speaks on the subject of perception by saying,[KM2] “In recent years, some of the most high-profile terrorist acts in the world that have impacted Americans have involved Muslims. They include the Lockerbie Pan Am bombing, the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and the attack of September 11, 2001. These acts helped create the perception that Muslims are violent and intolerant extremists. The stereotyping by some in theAmerican media has not helped; they have chosen to blame Muslims and/orIslam rather than the specific perpetrating groups and individuals whose actionswere in contradiction of the tenets of Islam” (96). This author, among many, along with everyday Muslims around the world, are stereotyped and persecuted for the actions of the few that use the name of a religion as a means for justification to commit acts in line with their personal agenda. The Holy Qur’an is the main means for justification by these extremists, usually quoting obscure parts of whole passages to give a false sense of being sanctioned to commit acts of terrorism. One such passage in the Holy Qur’an is Surah 2:191 says, “Fight those (who fight you) wheresoever you find them, and expel them from the place they had turned you out from.” In this verse, the word “fight” can also be translated as slay or kill as well, and when this verse is used by those to perpetuate an image of aggressiveness in Islam, they only say this one line from a three verse passage. In doing so, it does not relay the entire context of the verse, degrading its intended meaning and misusing the word of Allah. The whole passage, Surah 2:190-192 reads, “Fight those in the way of Allah who fight you, but do not be aggressive: Allah does not like aggressors. And fight those (who fight you) wheresoever you find them, and expel them from the place they had turned you out from…but if they desist, Allah is forgiving and kind.” Furthermore,perception[KM3] is created by giving definitions of word’s a meaning that detracts from its intended use.The Oxford English Dictionarylabels “inculcated,” “brainwashing,” “indoctrinate,” and “drill” as synonyms, which implies thatthat jihad is something that is forced upon an unsuspecting person. Perception, while it is based on events and real situations, does not mean that what is perceived is true, which is why the Western view on this word is lacking in true substance and understanding. To further explain this point about the West’s negative perception of Islam and jihad[KM4], consider the following point: “The Muslims’ stereotypical image of intolerant and aggressive religiouszealots, creating fear among non-believers, is far from reality. A very smallnumber of Muslims do subscribe to extremist views, just as some followers ofother religions do; but they are not representative of the vast majority ofMuslims. Their beliefs also do not reflect the teachings of Islam — especiallyconcerning violence. Extremists and terrorists represent Islam and Muslims asmuch as David Koresh, who used the Bible to justify his actions, representedChristianity. Similarly, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden represent Islamas much as Adolf Hitler and Timothy McVeigh represent Christianity” (Khan 96).
Another way that perception is skewed in a seemingly incorrect manner is due to belief in personal arguments for faith. Islam teaches that faith in Allah not only comes from within, but from reason as well. This reason coming from the works, religious texts, and personal examples set forthby the Prophets (Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad) sent by Allah to show humanity that there is a higher power to believe in. This can also be said in regards to Christianity, for faith in its validity and doctrines not only should come from within, but from it seeming to be reasonable that the existence of God can be known other than just taking the word of those around them. An argument that Christians use to verify their faith comes from a French writer named Blaise Pascal.[KM5] An idea known as Pascal’s Wager, which lays out the argument that it is better to believe in God rather than not, for if there is a God and you adhere to the belief system of Christianity, then you will be rewarded in the next life, but if He does not exist, then you will not be punished for disbelief (47-50). [KM6]This argument proposes that the probability that God exists outweighs the risk of not “believing” and is therefore in the individual’s best interest to believe and adhere to the concepts of Christianity, for they will not be in any danger of being wrong, whether they are right about the existence of God or not. In the eyes of a truly faithful follower [KM7]of Islam, this has the essence of compulsion driving belief, which is a strictly forbidden concept to Muslims. This kind of thinking is the type that goes completely against true faith and beliefbut is commonly used as a tool to “encourage” those to follow, or face the consequences.[KM8] Since the West is dominantly Christian in belief and foundation, this line of thought causes immense conflict between Islamic and Western belief and values, adding more fuel to the fire of conflict between the two sides.
While the West has a negative outlook on jihad [KM9]based on events and perception, in the Islamic community it stands for an important part of what being a Muslim is all about. There are two parts to understanding how jihad is viewed in the Islamic world. The first is its true definition, and the other is how it is practiced and applied in everyday life[KM10]. When speaking about jihad, you must look at its meaning in its original language, Arabic. In its original form, the word jihad means to struggle, or to strive. It also can mean to work for something as well (Emerick 166). Another meaning one could find to define jihad is also exertion (Feener 347). While there may be slight variations to this, the word in its true sense does not mean “holy war” or “religious war” as Western media would have the public believe. Emerick goes on to also point out that the Arabic word for war is “harb,” and the word for fighting is “qital,” very different from what the word jihad means (166). While “jihad” does mean to strive or struggle, this is not its entire connotation. In its complete meaning, jihad means to struggle or strive for Allah (Emerick 167). Being a Muslim myself, I will give an example. In everyday life, I come across many things that are considered sinful, things that take my focus off of Allah. It may be the video game I want to play instead of praying, or the desire to drink a beer with my friends (an act forbidden in Islam). My internal struggle to retain my focus on God and to find ways to remove sin are considered the greatest jihad, or struggle for Allah. With this comes the second part of understanding what jihad is, which is how it is practiced in the lives of Muslims. It is the duty of every Muslim to fight the inward struggle between wrong and right, which is recognized as the greatest jihad. Feener elaborates on this by saying, “Jihad has become one of the most hotly debated words in Muslim societies as well as in the West during the modern period. Some Muslims… have reemphasized dimensions of the inward focus of the “greater jihad” as a struggle for self-mastery. However, in popular discourses throughout the world, jihad is more often used with reference to armed struggle pursued in the defense of Islam against various perceived threats” (347). Muslims around the world recognize this and practice this [KM11]in their everyday lives, simply by living a life that Allah has asked of us through the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad.
This brings me to the point of how the word jihad is used by terrorists to justify their actions. [KM12]While what these extremists perceive as doing what Allah wills or commands, they are terribly mistaken in the fundamentals of what they believe is Islam. True Islam forbids killing the innocent for any reason; this includes men, women, and children who are referred to as “noncombatants” (Emerick 174). The Prophet Muhammad instructed Muslim soldiers to only kill enemy soldiers, for it is stated in the Holy Qur’an, Surah 5:32, “…that whosoever kills one man, except (as punishment) for murder or for spreading corruption in the land, it shall be like killing all mankind.” The Holy Qur’an even goes so far as to say, in Surah 5:34, that “…those who repent before they are subdued should know that Allah is forgiving and kind.” With this verse, Muslims are commanded, even in war, to spare those who surrender. However terrorists completely go against this doctrine and in doing so, bring shame the name of Islam and those who are true believers in the faith. As Emerick claims, [KM13]“The overwhelming majority of Muslims do not support, condone, or engage in such reprehensible acts [known as terrorism]” (175). By bombing a bus, a school, or acts on a much grander scale such as 9/11, these individuals go against the very faith they claim to represent,as many others have similarly done in the name of other major religions.
While the differences between the major monotheistic religions of the world are quiteapparent, the similarities are often overlooked, leading to an intense divide over the semantics of each respective view point. This separation of understanding between these faiths cause more than just a theological divide, but one that can be seen in our tangible, modern world. Through examples already stated in previous paragraphs, the nation’s media has a large part to play in how modern America views Muslims, and though differences are present in doctrines of the “Christian norm” [KM14]of America and the Muslim philosophy, the chosen unseen ties between the two are often grossly unaccounted for. Toropov writes that, “It is ironic that westerners should look on Muslims as followers of something strange and inaccessible. Islam is intimately related to Judaism and Christianity. Although major cultural differences certainly exist among the faithful of different lands, there is no good reason for a westerner to view Islam or Muslims as “foreign” or frightening. Media stereotypes notwithstanding, westerners have more in common with Muslims than they may realize” (90). Without a fundamental understanding of what the substance of people and groups different from ourselves consists of, the cycle of misunderstanding that has been in motion for far longer than our modern age would give credit for will continue to remain active, thoroughly cutting off circulation to the parts of reason we so desperately need in our society today.
As humans, our perceptions are what we use to drive our decisions and make choices regarding everything we do in life. Some of those perceptions are based on valid fact based on knowledge and wisdom; others are based on mere speculation, wild opinion, and often times a simple falsehood. The word jihad is not spared from being a victim of perception. In one light, opinion and stereotypes drive what this word means, through the agents of mass media, violent extremists who are personified through that media, and through the actions of those extremists. In another light, true definition and meaning of this word, as believed and practiced by over a billion Muslims worldwide, is a cornerstone to a faith that does not preach the extremism and violence as perceived by its opponents. Through education and understanding, this word can be used to instill a value called the greatest struggle, the inward struggle to separate the good and bad parts of one’s self.[KM15] Will this word ever be seen for what it truly is, or is it doomed to the perceptions of the entire Western culture? Being a Muslim who lives in the Western culture, I pray the answer is yes, but as with everything, only time will tell.
[KM1]With this sentence, the student states the purpose of the paragraph—sets up the paragraph.
[KM2]Notice the integration of the quotation.
[KM3]Comes back to thesis.
[KM4]Notice the depth—the analysis of the language—and how the student sets up the quotation (preview; summary).
[KM5]Notice how the points about Islam, Christianity, and Pascal flow together.
[KM6]A good paraphrase
[KM7]Refers to thesis
[KM8]Student could have further explained why this principle goes against Islam and how used as a tool.
[KM9]Needs a connection between faith & jihad.
[KM10]Refers to thesis
[KM11]Refers to thesis
[KM12]Notice how paragraphs flow.
[KM13]Notice integration of quotation.
[KM14]Comes back to previous points
[KM15]Refers to last part of thesis