Why does Islam ask all its followers to fight jihad? Surely that can do much good for community relations?
The noble concept of Jihad is horribly misunderstood. The word actually means ‘struggle’ – NOT Holy War!! Islam asks its followers to first engage in their own internal, spiritual jihad. So jihad is mainly to do with fighting vigorously against one’s weaknesses and lower instincts, e.g. greed, laziness and impatience. Through this kind of jihad, the Muslim should become even more suited to serving society. Rather than worsening community relations, this should enhance them. However, there is a “lesser” type of jihad, which involves the struggle for justice and freedom. In extreme cases where there is no peaceful alternative, this might even require war, like the idea of a ‘Just War’ in Christianity. Even then, Islam demands very strict ‘rules of engagement’: for example, not harming women, children, non-combatants, places of religious worship, e.g. temples and churches, property and even trees and wildlife. So clearly terrorism cannot be called jihad. It is a common myth that Islam was
