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Looking through the news today, one finds many references to an alleged "Jihad against the West." A Libyan was convicted for the Lockerbie bombing; bin Laden's alleged co-conspirators are on trial in Manhattan. Do these cases represent the true meaning of Jihad in Islam? The evidence from the Qur'an and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad provide the answer: a resounding "no."

Muslims are commanded in the Qur'an to "enjoin good and forbid evil" (9:112). The word Jihad stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means "strive." Other words derived from this root include "effort," "labor," and "fatigue." Essentially Jihad is an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but as a last resort and not "to spread Islam by the sword" as the stereotype would have you believe.

The Qur'an describes Jihad as a system......

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Approximate Word Count: 546
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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