The Concept of Jihad - Research Paper Example

Research paper: the concept of “jihad” The concept of jihad is related to the core aspect of Islam, which is interpreted differently, i.e. as violent and peaceful. To be specific, some people attempt to criticize Islam on the impression that jihad is the visible instance for violence or holy war. On the other side, some others interpret jihad as the inner struggle faced by the believers. Besides, the influence of fundamentalism on Islam and rapid spread of terrorism strengthens the misinterpretation of jihad to an extent. Thesis statement: The research work on the concept of Jihad proves that it means duty mindedness, groups interpret the same as a tool to exert their influence, individuals consider it as their duty, the U.S authorities interpret it as the influence of fundamentalism on religious belief and the reason behind terrorism, Muslim world considers it as the core aspect of their belief, and the rest of the world considers it as the reason behind religious intolerance or fundamentalism. Evaluation This section of the research work is divided as: jihad, differences in meaning, for groups and individuals, implication of jihad for the U.S., implication of jihad for the Muslim world, and implication of jihad for the rest of the world. Jihad Basically, the word jihad possesses inner meaning, i.e. duty mindedness of the believers. To be specific, this word denotes the inner struggle faced by the believers while proving their devotion to the almighty. On the other side, Shia Muslims interpret this word differently because they consider that it is their duty act against the infidels in general. Gilles Kepel states that, “By designating, in the Muslim context, all efforts to propagate Islam as “jihad”, in their eyes the word comes to signify a holy war against all “infidels” who they stigmatize as such” (x). To be specific, this sect of Muslims provides importance to the violent aspect of jihad. When one provides importance to the inner struggle faced by the believers, jihad becomes non-violent. When one provides importance to the exhibition of physical struggle, jihad is misinterpreted and misunderstood as a violent act. Still, some followers consider that spiritual struggle cannot help one to be with the almighty. Then, the violent aspect of jihad gains upper hand and results in drastic after effects. When the term jihad is superimposed into the context of religious belief, one can see that the same is less violent. Then, the struggle against the disbelievers will be transformed into the struggle to transform the society. In the religious text, jihad is used as a term to denote the action against the foes. So, the misinterpretation of this term beyond its meaning resulted in its double meaning and misuse. Differences in meaning As pointed out, misinterpretation altered the basic meaning of jihad beyond its spiritual undertone. In real sense, the concept of jihad helped the prophet to strengthen cohesiveness among the believers of monotheism. To be specific, jihad was helpful for Islamic believers to maintain supremacy over other religious groups in the Middle East. The prophet depended upon the violent aspect of jihad to maintain his supremacy within his public sphere. Gradually, some of the believers began to consider that holy war is their duty towards their religious belief. Halim Rane states that, “Many contemporary scholars consider peace to be a certain aim of Islam, but view the use of armed force as necessary in certain circumstances” (142). This difference in interpretation resulted in violence and bloodshed related to religious belief. So, one can see that the real aim of jihad is not to kill the non-believers, but to restore peaceful coexistence among different religious groups. For groups and individuals One can see that meaning of jihad differs for groups and individuals. To be specific, groups consider jihad as their duty towards their religious belief. For instance, the terrorist groups like Hamas and Taliban provides ample importance to the violent aspect jihad. This type of groups considers that jihad must be utilized to politicize their religious belief. Devin R. Springer opines that, “Violent jihad, whether by war, insurgency, or terrorism, has become an increasingly popular tool for extremist organizations that maintain that violent jihad is the greater or only jihad” (18). When the fundamentalist groups in the Middle East proclaimed jihad over the influence of the West in the Middle East, the public supported the same. To be specific, the innocent believers thought that the ultimate aim of the jihadists is to restore peace and to regain the lost popularity of Islam. When the fundamentalists began to introduce strict laws (say, Sharia), the believers protested, but for vain. So, one can see that Islamic groups interpreted jihad as their right to be violent. On the other side, individuals accepted the spiritual aspect of jihad, i.e. the inner struggle. This personal interpretation is harmless because the same results in purification of one’s inner self. One can see that real believers cannot become violent because Islam does not propagate violence, but the fundamentalist groups do. Implication of jihad for the U.S. One can see that the 9/11 incident changed the U.S. attitude towards the Jihadi groups. Earlier, the U.S. authorities considered that the influence of Jihadi groups is limited to the scenario of the Middle Eastern nations. But the loop holes in laws related to immigration helped the jihadi groups to gain control over the individuals who supported the violent aspect of jihad. Mitt Romney opines that, “Even after the attacks of September 11, some Americans cannot bring themselves to recognize the scope and reality of the jihadist threat” (65). Besides, the mosques in European nations were used to plan serial attacks against U.S. So, the 9/11 incident opened the eyes of the U.S. authorities because the incident proved that Jihadi groups are able to create a global network aiming to terrorize the whole world. Now, utmost importance is given to national security because the U.S. authorities consider that jihad is deeply rooted among the fundamentalist groups within Islam. Besides, the Jihadi groups exploit the devotion of the innocent believers and make use of them as suicide bombers. The jihadists claim that martyrdom is the exhibition of heroism and it will help a devotee to reach the heaven. So, this sort of misinterpretation helps the jihadists to manipulate religious belief and to massacre innocents. In short, the implication of jihad for the U.S. is related to the violent aspect of jihad. Implication of jihad for the Muslim world The Muslim world considers jihad as a weapon which can threaten the Western nations. Samuel M. Katz states that, “For them, the valued Islamic idea of the jihad came to have the new meaning of violent, armed struggle-a holy war-between the Islamic world and the West” (18). To be specific, the origin of religious fundamentalism/terrorism is indebted to the concept of jihad. As pointed out, the jihadist groups influenced the mass by partaking in the campaigns against westernization in the Middle East. Gradually, the jihadist groups began to influence the priests and other religious elite. This helped the jihadist groups to transform themselves into the political wings of their religion. But the influence of jihadist groups drags the Middle Eastern nations to the Stone Age. Still, the Muslim world is helpless because their religion is under the direct control of fundamentalist groups. Besides, the clash between different sects within Islamic Republics results in the deeper influence of fundamentalist groups among the same. So, one can see that the Muslim world considers jihad as a safety valve and sharp weapon that hinders the western influence. Implication of jihad for the rest of the world From a different angle of view, the rest of the world, disregarding the Islamic nations, consider jihad as an imminent threat. One can see that the jihadist groups implement the plans formulated by their leaders. Besides, revenue from oil industry is utilized to nurture the jihadist groups. On the other side, the jihadist groups make use of the immigrants to spread their fundamentalist ideology to different nations. The misinterpretation of jihad by the jihadist groups and related terrorist groups is the reason behind the negative impression on jihad among the world nations. In the present condition, the world nations consider that jihadist groups try to threaten the whole world by proclaiming war against humanity. The jihadist groups recruit innocents as suicide bombers and declare that martyrdom will help them to gain heaven. This sort of exploitation, added with the rapid spread of religious fundamentalism and terrorism, tend the world nations to consider that jihad is totally against world peace. Summing, the misinterpretation of the concept of Jihad is the reason behind the clash within different sects of Islam and the grudge towards other religions. But secular Muslims are totally against the violent aspect of jihad because the same drags the believers towards ignorance and underdevelopment. The individual believer’s faith in duty mindedness is exploited by the extremist groups to manipulate him/her. The U.S. authorities consider jihad as the war against the western world because the wrong deeds by the jihadist groups proves the same. Still, the Muslim world considers jihad as the integral part of their belief, but the rest of the world considers the same as the visible instance of violence related to terrorism. Works Cited Kepel, Gilles. Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam. London: I.B.Tauris, 2006. Print. Katz, Samuel M. Jihad: Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism. Minnesota: Twenty-First Century Books, 2004. Print. Romney, Mitt. No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. New York: Macmillan, 2010. Print. Rane, Halim. Reconstructing Jihad Amid Competing International Norms. N.p.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print. Springer, Devin R. Islamic Radicalism and Global Jihad. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2009. Print. Read More