The misconception of Jihad: Are Muslims Jihadist or Extremist?

Introduction:
The Arabic word "jihad" is usually translated as "holy war," but in the literal sense, the word
"jihad" is a struggle or a struggle. In contrast to the medieval Christian term "crusade" ("war for
the cross"). The Arabic word for war is "Al-Harab".

In the religious sense, jihad, as described in the Qur'an and in the teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (saw), has many meanings. It may refer to internal and external efforts to be Muslim
or good believers and to inform people about the Islamic faith.

If military jihad is needed to protect the beliefs of others, it can be done politically, legally,
diplomatically, and economically. If there is no peaceful alternative, Islam also allows the use of
force, but there are strict rules of attachment. Innocents such as women, children or the disabled
should not be harmed, and the peace of the enemy must be open to the world. Military actions
are therefore only a means of jihad and very rare. To emphasize this point, the Prophet
Muhammad told his followers that they had returned from a military campaign: "Today we have
returned from the small Jihad to the Great Jihad."

If military action seems necessary, not everyone can explain jihad. The religious military
campaign must be declared by the competent authority according to the recommendations of
scientists who say that religion and people are threatened and that violence is a necessity to
protect them. The idea of "just war" is very important.

Examples of the sanctioned military jihad are the medieval defensive struggles of Muslims
against the crusaders and, before that, the reactions of some Muslims to Byzantine and Persian
attacks during the first Islamic conquests

What is not a jihad?

o Jihad is not a violent term.
o Jihad is not a declaration of war on other religions. It is worth noting that the Koran
explicitly refers to Jews and Christians as the "people of the book" that must be protected
and respected. All three religions worship the same God. Allah is only the Arabic word
for God and is used by Christian and Muslim Arabs.
o Military actions in the name of Islam were not common in the history of Islam.
Investigators say most of the calls for violent jihad are not sanctioned by Islam.
o War in the name of God is not exclusive in Islam. Other beliefs around the world have
led to wars with religious justifications.
o Over the centuries, the concept of jihad has been abducted by many political and
religious groups to justify various forms of violence. In most cases, Islamic divided
 groups called for jihad to fight the established Islamic order. Researchers claim that this
abuse of jihad is contrary to Islam.

Findings and Discussion

It can not be emphasized enough that Islam defends the values of reason, balance, and
responsibility in the conduct of its global affairs. The legal provisions relating to war, peace,
international relations and the rule of law do not contain arbitrary provisions. In this area, there is
a significant correlation between Islamic law and the current worldwide legal systems. In
addition to the real possibility that these legal systems were strongly influenced by the legal
heritage of Islam, this articulation can be explained by the fact that the protection and recognition
of fundamental human rights are a cornerstone of Islamic legislation.

The international community has reached an agreement through the United Nations on a range of
human rights and interests that have always supported Islam. It should not surprise anyone who
is familiar with the basic realism, rationality, and pragmatism of Islamic law.

Critics of Islam, on the other hand, insist that Islam and Muslims openly reject and not tolerate
other communities than their own. They refer to the Qur'anic verses that train believers in the
fight against infidels, to the battles of ancient Islam and the final confrontation between the
Crusaders and the Saracens or the ignorant and now to the contemporary stereotype of the Arab
"terrorist".

It should be noted that many Orientalists are opposed to this characterization of their views on
this subject. In fact, many more differentiated positions. However, it is still true that Islam is still
being stimulated by major parts of the global media as threatening, jealous, violent and alien.

When formulating an answer to all this, it is crucial to focus on a general definition of Islam so
as not to misunderstand jihad and its place in the law. The usual saying that Islam is a "way of
life" has been broken so far that we can do without it. Islam is described more precisely as
"establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth".

The last statement must be carefully understood if we avoid superficial or equally misleading
morality that characterizes much contemporary thought about Islam. It is not desirable, as an
expression of obvious understanding, to cite support for one or another personal opinion on a
particular topic. It is not enough to use Qur'anic or prophetic texts without sufficient knowledge
of the human condition and cultural environment in which they were first revealed and applied,
as well as the primacy of some verses over others based on revelation or revocation.

The critic must also distrust the interpretation of the "jihad" projected and sometimes imposed by
today's selective "religious reform." They ignore the key aspects of the spiritual heritage of
Islam, selectively displace key personalities and ignore the flawless history of Islam to meet the
standards of law and justice in state affairs.
Attack on Muslims:
In the Western world, there were incidents of Islamophobia that threatened the whole world:

o United States - August 2016: A New York magnet and his staff are shot dead in a
busy street near his mosque in Queens. The police say it is a hate crime. The attacker
was arrested and charged with murder.
o Switzerland - December 2016: A 30-year-old man enters a mosque in the center of
Zurich and shoots a handful of men drinking tea after an Arab prayer. Three wounded
Early in the day another victim was killed in the same operation. The suspect was
able to flee but was found dead near a river near the mosque.
o Canada: January 2017: Alexander Bisont, 27, kills six Muslim believers and injures
dozens of people in an attack on a mosque in Quebec City during night prayers.
o United States - May 2017: Two men are stabbed after attempting to intervene when a
man abuses two Muslim-looking women on a train in Oregon, Northwestern Oregon,
with racial abuse.
o United Kingdom - June 2017: A 48-year-old man in London drives a van to a group
of newlyweds who left the mosque after night prayer. A 51-year-elderly person was
murdered and nine others harmed. Spain - August 2017: The number of crimes
against Muslims in Spain has increased following fatal attacks in Barcelona and
Cambrils, as mosques in the cities of Granada, Fuenlabrada, Logroño, and Seville are
desecrated and bombed.
o New Zealand - March 2019: 20-year-old Australian Brenton Trent allegedly kills 49
people in two mosques in Christchurch. He is arrested and charged.
o British PM May says police will protect mosques after Finsbury attack (3:11)11)

The Real Jihadist: Muslim Saviors:

There are cases in which Muslims have played an important role in saving another religious
community:

o The forgotten stories of Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust
o The stories include the stories of Khaled Abdul Wahab, who protected about two dozen
Jews in Tunisia, and passports by Abdul Hussein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat, who was
responsible for helping thousands of Jews fleeing from Nazi soldiers
o When an imam in Nigeria saw hundreds of desperate and anxious families running into
their city last Saturday, he decided to risk his life to save their lives.
o A heroic Muslim security guard arrested a suicide bomber to enter the French stadium
and possibly saved hundreds of lives.

Famous Muslims Personalities Overcoming Islamophobia:

1-Muhammad Ali
I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about slaughtering honest individuals in Paris, San
Bernardino or anyplace else in the world. True Muslims realize that the crazy savagery of the
purported Islamic jihadists disregards the standards of our religion. As Muslims, we have to
confront the individuals who use Islam to propel their own agenda. True Muslims know or
should realize that it is against our religion to attempt to force Islam on anyone. As somebody
who has never been blamed for political rightness, I accept that our political pioneers should
utilize their situation to comprehend the religion of Islam and make it clear that these bogus
professional killers are contorting people\'s perspectives on what Islam truly is to have.

2-Mohamed Salah
Mohammed Salah Hamed from Russ Jali is an Egyptian professional footballer.

It includes a series of fan anthems, including one of Dodgy's "Good Enough" hit in 1996, and
words suggesting that red fans should consider converting to Islam.

3-Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Abdulmanapovich Normgomedov is a professional mixed martial artist in Russia of the
Uber heritage

After the harsh comments of Conor McGregor, he defeated him and became a new role model
for Muslim adults.

He says:

In the event that Allah is with you, nobody can beat you, no one, you need to trust it."

Conclusion and Recommendations:

It is clear that the concept of jihad as a concept is completely obscured by the ongoing rhetoric of
Islamic activists with financial power and extremist scholars. They have ignored centuries of
classical scholarship, using the simplicity and literalism of the Qur'an and the holy traditions of
the Prophet, and created a compelling image of jihad as a militant person, continuing the war
between Muslims and non-Muslims. A situation they are facing will persist until the end of time.

The only way to disseminate the extremist perception of jihad, which is heavily funded by
external sources, is an equally strong effort on the part of Muslim governments to re-educate
their populations, especially young people, with a proper understanding of the term. Such efforts
must be maintained and supported by modern and moderate Muslim scholars in all countries.

We offer the following recommendations for each country involved in these retraining efforts:
 1) Follow-up discussions to respond to the current misuse of the term jihad;
2) Developing and directing public presentations for public education based on the
information and discussions in section (1);
3) Publication of literature on the exact definition of jihad and distribution of this literature
in large quantities;
4) Encourage modern and moderate academics to stand up and speak out against extremists;
5) Creation of a national panel for modern and moderate researchers.
6) Publish the above-mentioned procedures and debates in public media by modern and
moderate scientists.

References
1. http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/index.php
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44657339
3. https://time.com/4651298/holocaust-memorial-day-muslims-jews/
4. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/summary-attacks-muslims-western-countries-
190316150024125.html
5. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/salah-muslim-chant-
liverpool-mo-14300095
6. https://twitter.com/teamkhabib/status/947390296282861568?lang=en