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?


The term jihad literally means "struggle" and is understood in the Qur'an to mean struggle for the good -- whether that be an inner struggle for righteousness, or an external struggle for justice. The greatest jihad, according to the Prophet, is the struggle to control one's baser desires. He described the strong man as one who could control his temper, not one who could beat others in a fight.

Accordingly, you will hear many American Muslims describe their daily life as a jihad. In particular, they will refer to the struggle to observe religious laws in a society which presents countless opportunities, incentives, and even pressure to violate them as a jihad. Wearing hijab is often described as a jihad, as it exposes the wearer to constant quetioning and negative judgements. So too observing rules against the consumption of alcohol, which may exclude American Muslims from social and business gatherings, is often seen as a struggle between the desire to get ahead in this world and the desire to uphold Islamic law.

More difficult than either of those is the spiritual quest. At a time when many Muslims feel under seige -- from extremists who are wreaking havoc among our bretheren in the Muslim world and attacking our homes, from Islamophobes who make egregious attacks on Islam itself, and from those who see every Muslim as a potential terrorist -- the challenges to American Muslims' faith and spirituality have never been greater.

For many of us, 9-11 was a shock not only because our homeland had been attacked in a horrific manner, but because people calling themselves Muslims had done it. It provoked a deep spiritual crisis within the community, making us question if fundamental beliefs that Islam is a religion of peace, inclusive, and teaching intercommunal harmony were indeed accurrate, making us confront questions of how devout Muslim could have come to the conclusion that such a vile act could ever be justified as Islamic. For some it was a wakeup call that they could not turn a blind eye to the extremism festering within our midst; for others it was more tempting to simply walk away from the Muslim community, to say these people are not my people. For a large part of the community, this spiritual crisis resulted in denial that 9-11 and other acts of terrorism were committed by Muslims at all.

Whatever the spiritual response, the struggle to hold onto one's faith, to continue to improve one's character, to reach out to others through good deeds, has indeed been an intense struggle for many American Muslims. Many of us feel caught between the need to defend Islam from those who defame it through fear, ignorance or malice, the imperative to support those Muslims who have been unfairly targete in the war on terror, and the clear and desperate need for reform within Muslim communities, whether it be confronting extremism or oppressive governments.

Slight wonder then, that daily life is seen as a jihad by many American Muslims.

This inner aspect of jihad is, of course, not the only manifestation of struggle. The Prophet told us, "When you see an evil action you must change it with your hand; if you cannot do so, with your tongue; if you cannot do so, change it with your heart." (Bukhari and Muslim) He described jihad as being with the tongue, the pen, the hand and the sword.

The first refers to sermons, lectures, exhorting one another to good. The second includes scholarly work, jurisprudence, articles, inspirational poetry. The third is working for good with your wealth and your time -- charity and volunteerism. The last refers to military struggle.

Depsite the many charges that Islam requires Muslims to slay all non-Muslims until they agree to convert, this is not the case. Rather jihad by the sword is specifically to relieve oppression. The Qur'an says, "How could you refuse to fight in the cause of God and of the utterly helpless men and women and children who are crying, "Oh our Sustainer! Lead us forth out of this land whose people are opressors, and raise for us, out of Your Grace, a protector, and raise for us, out of your Grace, one who will bring us succor!" (4:75)

It also is ruled by strict limitations. It is not to be aggressive, only defensive as God says, "Fight in God's cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression, for, verily, God does not love the aggressors." (2:190) If the other party sues for peace, then the Muslim side should cease fighting. "But if they desist, then let all hositlity cease, save for those who continue to commit oppression." (2:193) The Prophet further stipulated that in the course of warfare, non-combatants should not be harmed, nor should buildings, orchards, or farmland be destroyed. The Qur'an also tells us that our response should be commensurate with the provocation. "And one who attacks you, attack him in like manner as he attacked you." (2:194).

These precepts, coupled with the Prophet's teaching that suicide is a sin, make it clear that terrorist acts such as 9-11, the London, Bali and Madrid bombings cannot be justified by the Qur'an or the Prophet's words. Any attempt to do so by certain Muslim factions is illegitimate, dervied by twisting some texts and purposefully ignoring others.

At the same time, it is also quite clear that the Qur'an does not preach universal and unilateral pacifism. If all other means -- jihad via tongue and pen, ie negotiation and diplomacy -- fail, Muslims should stand up against oppression, aggression, and injustice militarily. It is a precept that I find resonant with the values I grew up with in New England, where the slogan "Give me Liberty or give me death!" was commonly championed.