Jihad

Jihad linguistically means "effort" or "striving" in Arabic. It is
considered a fundamental principle of Islamic faith, and is sometimes called
"The sixth pillar of Islam", in reference to the Five Pillars of Islam. The
two meanings of Jihad are:

  1. A personal, internal struggle (inner or greater Jihad)
  2. An external battle or war against aggressors (outer or lesser Jihad)

Inner Jihad is not a controversial issue among Muslims, but outer Jihad is.

In one quote about Jihad, the Qur'an says:

     "To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to defend
     themselves), because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most
     Powerful to give them victory - (they are) those who have been expelled
     from their homes in defiance of right - (for no cause) except that they
     say, 'Our Lord is Allah'..." (22:39-40)

Many modern Arab acts of terrorism have been considered an expression of
jihad. Two Islamist organizations call themselves "Islamic Jihad": Egyptian
Islamic Jihad and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These groups are considered
mainstream by millions of supporters within the Islamic world, who see a
strong religious justification for a military understanding of the term
jihad. For militant groups within the Islamic cultural sphere, a person who
commits suicide as a part of struggle against oppression is considered a
shahid - holy martyr - and is held to have earned a place in heaven. Many
Muslims disagree with this view, however, saying that even in such
circumstances, suicide remains a sin.

Jihad as a war against non-Muslims

"Jihad has been decreed to repel aggression and to remove obstructions
impeding the propagation of Islam in non-Islamic countries." As Lt. Col. M.
M. Qureshi points out in his "Landmarks of Jihad", "only a war which has an
ultimate religious purpose can be termed as jihad." (Shayk Muhammad Abu
Zahra, Egyptian member of the Academy of Islamic Research).

There is nothing historically unique about this position, although such
clear (and popular) advocacy of forced proselytization may now be relatively
uncommon.

See also the "Reputation and evaluation" section of Crusade for a discussion
of how the terms "Crusade" and "Jihad" are perceived differently in the West
and the Islamic world.

Many analysts hold that the severe economic and governmental differences
between the Islamic world and the rest of the world contribute to fueling
this notion of jihad.