Jihad

What is it?

How does it affect Muslim life?

How does it affect non-Muslims attitudes to Muslims?

Fact or Opinion

• All British Muslims admire terrorists.

• Being a Muslim means you cannot be British.

• The word Islam means ‘Peace’.

• All Muslims are Asian.

• Many Muslims believe all people are born a Muslim, and if we are not one it’s because we choose not to be.

Islam and War• Despite its emphasis on peace-

making, Islam is sometimes perceived as a war-like religion. This is mostly a stereotype fed by the media who misunderstand many aspects of Muslim life.

JIHAD

What do these media images suggest about Muslims and

war?

Muslims and War

• One meaning of the word ‘Islam’ is ‘peace’.

• Muslims should work to promote peace.• Muslims use the phrase, “Peace be upon

you.”

It is clear that Islam should be a religion ofpeace – however, Islam has another side where sometimes war is a duty!

The concept of Jihad

• The Arabic word Jihad is often wrongly translated as HOLY WAR.

• Jihad actually means ‘to struggle in the way of Allah’.

• It is the personal effort made by every Muslim to devote his or her life to carrying out Allah's will and also means the fight against evil.

• A person that performs Jihad is called Mujahid

What is Jihad?

Muslims use the word Jihad to describe three different kinds of struggle:

1. A believer's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible

2. The struggle to build a good Muslim society 3. Holy war: the struggle to defend Islam, with

force if necessary

The Greater and Lesser Jihad

Jihad means ‘to strive

for’The most

important jihad is the greater

jihad – the struggle against internal

influences which might affect one’s

soul

The lesser jihad is the external,

physical effort, often implying

fighting.

The internal JihadLearning the Qur'an by heart is considered engaging in Greater Jihad 

The phrase internal Jihad or greater Jihad refers to the efforts of a believer to live their Muslim faith as well as possible.

All religious people want to live their lives in the way that will please their God.

So Muslims make a great effort to live as Allah has instructed them; following the rules of the faith, being devoted to Allah, doing everything they can to help other people.

For most people, living God's way is quite a struggle. God sets high standards, and believers have to fight with their own selfish desires to live up to them, no matter how much they love God.

Jihad Video

Group Discussion

• In your groups discuss and record some of the reasons a young Muslim might go on Jihad.

• Use the previous video and your own knowledge to help you.

So Jihad doesn’t mean war.

• Although jihad does not mean war, many Muslims believe that the fight against evil and the preservation of Islam may justify going into battle. This is then described as Harb-al-Muqadis, which is technically a Holy War.

Just War Jihad

The Rules of JihadThere are very strict rules for fighting a jihad

• It must be started and organised by a religious leader, not just by any politician

• It must be for a recognisably just cause, in the name of Allah, and according to the will of Allah

• It must always be as a last resort, after every other means for settling the problem has been tried and has failed

• It should never be fought out of aggression, or desire to gain territory

• Innocent should not be made to suffer

Trees, crops and animals should be protected

Is this Jihad?

Is this Jihad?

Is this Jihad?

Is this Jihad?

Is this Jihad?

What does Islam teach about war?

Task

1.What is Jihad?.

2.Explain the difference between greater and lesser jihad.

3.Explain what makes a war NOT jihad.

4.Explain what you have learned this lesson about jihad and how it differs from how the media portrays the religion.

We are now going to look at some modern conflicts. You need to decide if they would be a Just War/Jihad or not. You need to explain the reasons why.

The USA wanted to end World War II.

The USA had developed the nuclear bomb.

First they bombed a city called Hiroshima and three days later they bombed a city called Nagasaki.

The Japanese government had previously refused to surrender.

Altogether 214,000 people are said to have died from the attacks.

The city has been rebuilt today but many people suffer from cancer and many babies were born disabled from the radiation poisoning.

September 11th

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

Four planes were hijacked by terrorists. They attacked New York City first.The terrorists were members of Al-

Qaeda an organisation based in the Middle East.

Al-Qaeda is against the way of life in countries like the USA, Great Britain, and Spain. They think their ideas about money, sex and drugs are too free and easy.

Al-Qaeda thinks that countries in the west (USA and European countries) have too much influence on the rest of the world. They are now rebuilding on the area

where the twin towers once stood.

IRAQ

Iraq was invaded by the USA and Great Britain in 2003.

Until 2003 Iraq was run by Saddam Hussein.Saddam Hussein was a very cruel leader and many people in Iraq were not happy with the way he ran things.

The USA has been criticised for firing on civilian (non-army) targets. The US and British

governments believed that Saddam Hussein was building chemical and nuclear weaponsBritain has offered

to help victims of the war in Iraq as there are not many good hospitals left in Iraq.

What a Jihad is not…

A war is not a Jihad if the intention is to:• Force people to convert to Islam • Conquer other nations to colonise them • Take territory for economic gain • Settle disputes • Demonstrate a leader's power• Although the Prophet engaged in military action

on a number of occasions, these were battles to survive, rather than conquest, and took place at a time when fighting between tribes was common.

Can Muslims 'Reclaim' Jihad?

MyJihad is an organisation that is trying to change the public perception of the word jihad which has been distorted by extremists, both Muslim and anti-Muslim alike. It has taken out a number of bus adverts in Chicago. 

They claim that the voices of moderate Muslims, living in the mainstream, are "either drowned out or diluted."The MyJihad ads, feature young, attractive men and women with slogans such as "My Jihad is to build friendships across the aisle. What's yours?" and "My Jihad is to stay fit despite my busy schedule. What's yours?"

Do you think think that MyJihad is a worthwhile campaign? Did you know what Jihad meant? Is Jihad misunderstood in the UK as well as in the US? Do you think the adverts will change peoples' perceptions? How do you think Muslims would feel about this?

Jihad or not?

Plenary

• What responsibility does the Media have in how it portrays Islam?

• How could it help to improve the general opinion of Islam?

• What should or could the Muslim community do in order to improve its image?