Not too long ago, the Guardian newspaper in the U.K. reported that Saudi Arabia had bribed the British government with a $70 million arms deal to cease a criminal investigation against members of the Saudi royal family, and stop affording asylum to two prominent Saudi dissidents, Sa’d al-Din al-Faqih and Muhammad al-Mis’iri. These two men called attention to Saudi Arabia human rights abuses, and were strong advocates for democratic reform in Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world. Per the terms of the arms deal, they were turned over to Saudi Arabia where they would certainly be tortured and killed.

For three days, neither government confirmed nor denied the Yamama deal, as it came to be known. At the same time, the British government ordered the Guardian to stop reporting on this matter of national security. Shockingly, al-Faqih and al-Mis’iri, both British citizens, were arrested, denaturalized and deported. Relying solely on Saudi evidence, both men were charged with supporting terrorism. This is only one example in an extremely alarming trend of human rights abuses committed by Western democracies in the name of fighting terrorism. Add to this the recent revelations about secret U.S. detention centers, the horrifying use of torture by the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, and the abhorrent practice of “rendition” or “proxy” torture, where other governments do the dirty work at the behest of the U.S

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Bishop John Chane, Senior Rabbi Bruce Lustig and I have been on a Jihad since September 11, 2001. We have been “struggling”—the literal meaning of Jihad—to create understanding, friendship and harmony between our faiths. Rabbi Lustig took the initiative immediately after 9/11 by organizing the First Abrahamic Summit in Washington, DC. Since then, I have been honored to be part of several ongoing initiatives with my two friends. For example, every year, we walk hand in hand with several thousand people on 9/11 in a show of friendship from the Washington Hebrew Congregation to the National Cathedral and on to the Mosque on Massachusetts Ave. As recently as June, the three of us, along with Canon John Peterson, were at the National Cathedral speaking about the themes that arise out of my book "Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization."

1. What is common between Islam and the Judeo-Christian tradition?

For a Muslim, the Judaic and Christian traditions shape and form our history, values, culture and ideas. Muslims inherit the same idea of a monotheistic, omnipotent God and the same great Biblical prophets which include figures like Abraham and Moses. Muslims believe in the Ten Commandments and even many of the dietary restrictions are similar. We are here on earth to do good and follow in the footsteps of the great figures that have come as messengers from God so that at the end of our lives, our ledgers show the good outweighing the bad and we can be judged to enter paradise; we therefore share an idea of judgment day. Muslims consciously talk of Jews and Christians as “people of the book” and there have been long periods of harmony between them.

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1) What is common between Islam and the Judeo-Christian tradition?

Most importantly we are monotheistic, believing in “the one God” that we all share in common. There are those in both Christianity and Judaism who do not believe that we share the same God. But in truth, we see our common connection with the same God to be critical in interfaith dialogue, and in our understanding of each others Holy Books. There can be no meaningful inter-faith engagement and dialogue unless we come to the table, Muslims, Jews and Christians with this as our initial binding theological truth. We are in fact the sons and daughters of Abraham, the first monotheist.

For Christians, Islam honors the Virgin Mary as the bearer of Jesus who Muslims consider to be a great prophet. Mary is mentioned more times in the Koran than is Jesus, but none the less both appear by name in the Koran. Islam and Christianity separate when place of Jesus in the life of monotheism is elevated. Since the basis of Christianity is centered on the core, canonical teaching that Jesus is the son of God; in other words, God Incarnate, there is an inherent problem. The question here is, “can Islam and Christianity live side by side in a rapidly changing and violent world where religion is too often the fault line” and where Muslims and Christians differ on the divinity of Jesus. Judaism and Christianity have been able to live side by side even with their different understands of the Christian imperative that Jesus is the Messiah. Can Islam bear this same tolerance with Christianity about Jesus?

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I didn’t need to watch the PBS series “America at a Crossroads” or read the recent Pew Research Center survey on American Muslims, to know that the Muslim community is under intense scrutiny.

The day I won the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) endorsement for the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota, it was the first question out of the shoot.

“Aren’t you a Muslim?” “Will you be the first one in Congress if you win?” “Will you swear your oath on the Qur'an?” “Do you oppose terrorism?”

I’ve heard them all. But although I’ve been asked a few intrusive, repetitive, and even silly questions about my faith, life has been good.

First, a fairly small number of conversations revolve around religion. Whole days – even weeks – have gone by without me being asked to speak on behalf of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world. But more importantly, I’ve been able to pursue my work on behalf of my constituents. I have been effective on issues such as peace, ending the war in Iraq, credit justice, and environmental sustainability. My colleagues have been tolerant and inclusive. I have not had a single unpleasant face-to-face encounter with a member of congress over religion. Individual leaders in the Bush Administration have been open and inclusive. I accompanied Speaker Pelosi on her trip to the Middle East, and I’ll never forget the warm reception she received from the women who poured out of the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus just to shake her hand or take a picture.

Of course, there have been a few bumps.

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WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

The term “Jihad” is very much misunderstood by many non-Muslims and it is also very much abused by some Muslims. Jihad does not mean “holy war.” Jihad is an Arabic word, and its literal meaning is “to strive and exert effort.” In the Qur’an, this word is used several times. Sometimes it is used in the spiritual sense implying to strive and make an effort for self-purification from sin and evil. Sometimes it is used in social sense meaning to strive to keep good relations with others and to establish truth, justice and to do charitable deeds. Jihad is also used sometimes in terms of striving against oppression and aggression. As such, Jihad may involve combat and military action. However, this is only one aspect of Jihad. The more specific term for military action in the Qur’an is not jihad but “qital.”

In Islam, warfare is allowed only for defensive purposes to stop oppression and aggression. There is no place in Islamic teachings for war or violence against any person, group or state simply because of the difference of race, color, language, nationality or religion. Islam does not allow any coercion in order to convert others to its faith. The Qur’an says, “There is no coercion allowed in religion.” (Surah 2:256).

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1. What is common between Islam and the Judeo-Christian tradition?

Basic to Judaism, Christianity and Islam is monotheism, the belief in one god. In each faith, the relationship to the one God is demonstrated not only in a life of prayer and devotion, but, more importantly, in how one lives his or her life. How we act in this world is central to all three faiths; the philosophical and theological tenets of the faith are meaningless unless they are demonstrated in daily life. How we treat each other as human beings, all children of one God “created in the Divine image” is more important to Judaism, Christianity and Islam than what is written in our sacred books or professed by our clerics. Each faith emphasizes social justice, partnering with God to make our world a more just and compassionate world--how we care for the widow, the orphan, the poor and the powerless is the measure of our faith. The words that grace the entrance to our congregation from Micah 6:8: “Oh man what is good and what is required of you--to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God” - these very words may not be found at the door of the mosque or the church but they are in common upon the heart of every Jew, Christian and Muslim.

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1. WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful

Jihad is an Arabic word meaning ‘struggle’ or ‘effort’. In religious teaching, it denotes any struggle against the lower, selfish tendencies of the ego. One dimension of this may be to struggle against one’s own selfishness and cowardice in order to defend one’s people. One form of this was indicated by the Blessed Prophet when he said: ‘the best form of jihad is to speak a true word to a tyrannical ruler’. In doing so one risks one’s life, but is serving the weak and the oppressed; the Prophet therefore describes it as a form of jihad.

While non-retaliation against a personal injury is frequently a virtue (see the Holy Qur'an, chapter 41 verse 34), Islam believes that human communities have the right to collective self-defense, since non-resistance to aggression would result in a world dominated by tyrants (see Holy Qur’an, 22:40). Under some circumstances, Muslim scholars will allow oppressed peoples to rebel against their oppressors. They might, therefore, classify the American War of Independence as a form of jihad, broadly understood. When Bosnia was faced with ethnic cleansing in 1992, the Muslim authorities there authorized the use of force to defend the country’s Muslim minority. The alternative would have been mass murder and mass rape, and therefore jihad was lawful. Furthermore, some Muslim scholars will permit a non-defensive ‘idealist’ war to establish justice and freedom in a neighboring country. This is analogous, perhaps, to the decision of the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany on September 3, 1939, in response to the German invasion of Poland. There are more recent analogies as well, including very recent instances in which Western powers have used force to overthrow tyrants such as Saddam Hussein.

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Waging Jihad against Violence

The word jihad does not signify “war” (qital) alone, but can also mean to strive mightily to defeat one’s own ego, so as to become humble and at peace with oneself, with God, and His varied creation. As many others have stated, the Prophet himself explicitly made this point, upon returning from the “lesser jihad” at the battle of Badr to the “greater jihad,” through which he exhorted his Muslim followers to overcome their egotistical nature and desires. Violence is generally born of egotism and arrogance, even when veiled in the sanctity of religious justification. The wave of suicide bombings we have witnessed in recent years is no exception. True jihad consists of opposing such violence, in the name of God and His religion. For only God Himself has any right or claim to absolute possession of the Truth.

The question confronting us – whose answer will be pivotal in determining the future of humanity – is whether the Muslim ummah (community) in the 21st century is willing to reinterpret the Qur’an, rather than remain stuck with an outmoded understanding of the sacred text inherited from Muslim clerics who lived and wrote their Qur’anic interpretations a thousand years ago, at a time of great wars and chaos.

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1. WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

Linguistically, Jihad means “to struggle or strive against an opponent.” The classical commentary on the Qur’an and the Way of the Prophet Muhammad describes four levels of Jihad, all of which involve a struggle on the side of goodness, truth and justice for the sake of God against evil, falsehood and injustice.

The most inward and profound meaning is “Jihad against the self or ego,” the struggle for good against evil that occurs within every human being. This is sometimes referred to as the “Greatest Jihad” because it underpins the other levels of Jihad.

“Jihad with wealth” is the sacrifice of wealth to support noble causes.

“Jihad with the tongue” (or pen, printing press, keyboard, etc.) is the oral, verbal and written struggle for goodness, truth and justice.

Finally, “Jihad with one’s life” includes the ongoing, lifelong struggle as well as the willingness to give up one’s life in a just and noble cause for the sake of God. This includes the military form of Jihad, which here may be translated as a “Sacred War,” a term that has similarities to the concept of the “Just War” in Christianity and to militant traditions in all major religions. There are strict rules governing military Jihad, such as it being a declared war and the prohibition of targeting civilians and other non-combatants.

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Since I became Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims just fifty years ago, I have watched the world oscillate between promise and disappointment. In many cases, the disappointments can be attributed to the absence of a culture of tolerance.

My commitment to the principle of tolerance is based on spiritual understandings which are rooted in ancient teachings. I would mention two touchstones in particular. The first affirms the unity of the human race, as expressed in the Holy Qur'an where God, as revealed through the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, says the following:

"O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from the twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women." (4:1)

This remarkable verse speaks both of the inherent diversity of mankind -- the "multitude" -- and of the unity of mankind -- the "single soul created by a single Creator" -- a spiritual legacy which distinguishes the human race from all other forms of life.

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