Jihad is a powerful word. For me it elicits thoughts of burning buildings, funerals, and anger - a lot of anger. I think of guys who are misguided - hurting people for the hopes of some far-off religious paradise. These thoughts are shaped not by anyone whose home culture uses the term, not by anyone who has invoked the word for themselves - but by news sources and pastors who are trying to make sense of why tragedies like terrorist attacks happen. And this is perfectly legitimate - but that doesn't make it true.
In my typical, recent quest for honesty in the words I use and pre-conceived notions that I maintain - I began to look into whether I have been doing a disservice to the true originators and owners of "Jihad". What I found would have been more shocking if our entire culture didn't only support sources that reinforced their pre-accepted biases.
As it turns out, jihad almost exclusively refers to an internal "holy war" - the spiritual battle that each of us wage on a daily basis. Mohammed himself reiterates this when, on returning from a physically militant battle he says, "This day we have returned from the minor jihad to the major jihad," referring to the struggle for self discipline and internal peace. The Islamic Supreme Council provides further details as to what qualifies as acceptable physical violence (militant jihad) and what doesn't. I strongly encourage you to follow the link and check it out before continuing.
There are an estimated 1.8 billion (That's 1,800,000,000) Muslims in the world based on a Pew Research survey that was updated in May of 2017. To help paint a picture of how they view extremism, 86% say that violence in the name of Islam is rarely or never justified; 7% say suicide bombings are sometimes justified and just 1% say that suicide bombings are often justified. Even with these numbers strongly supporting the idea that most Muslims abhor violence in the name of their religion - they may seem somewhat high (14% say violence in the name of Islam is often justified = 252 million people). But lets keep honest in mind and ask - how many Christians around the world (or even just in the USA for that matter) would argue that violence in the name of Christianity is okay?
Names like the Aryan Republican Army (Associated with a Nordicist interpretation of Christianity), the (graphic images warning if following the link) Army of God (focusing on anti-abortion violence), the Phineas Priesthood (Remember Numbers 25v7?), "the Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord," and the Aryan Nations come to mind. Hopefully you didn't do too much research on these groups because it is disgusting that such beliefs exist - and in the name of Christianity nevertheless.
I know no one who would agree with any of the groups listed above. But how many Christians would say that there are circumstances in which violence in the name of Christianity is sometimes justified? I'm legitimately asking - because I'm not sure. I would think at least 14% - but I would very much like to hear your thoughts. Again - the pursuit is truth, and if this whole post is off-base - I want to hear what logic and what sources you use to determine it to be so.
I'm certainly not arguing that Islam isn't responsible for the recent atrocities that are becoming more frequent. What I am saying is that these acts done in the name of jihad are condemned by the vast majority of those claiming Islam, most importantly by the religious leaders. This rebuke of perverted theopraxis isn't just a media ploy to subvert public opinion; it is supported logically and by their hermeneutic study of their religious texts. Typically this is where readers will "write-off" this post as being liberal, terrorist-sympathizing nonsense - but I'm hoping that if you have read the past few posts, you will be able to step outside of what's comfortable and be able to take an honest look at all sides of the argument - which is the only way we can hold opinions that have stood the test of critical thought and honesty.
If we hold before us the times where people have performed atrocities in the name of Christianity - perhaps we would more easily be able to extend grace to the whole Islamic religion - realizing that only a minute fraction are distorting the beliefs of the religion. We must link arms together to fight against extremism from all sides - and the only way to do this begins by opposing the narrative that Islam is a religion of terrorism - just as we strongly oppose anyone who would attempt to argue that Christianity is a religion of terrorists.
In the spirit of Jihad - join me in fighting for the self-discipline of rational thought and discussion based on truth and research. Help me to arrive there by enlightening facets of the conversation that I have missed.
Thoughts are encouraged in the comment section! Also - Plus 1 this post - I don't really know what that means, but it seems like a good idea.
If we hold before us the times where people have performed atrocities in the name of Christianity - perhaps we would more easily be able to extend grace to the whole Islamic religion - realizing that only a minute fraction are distorting the beliefs of the religion. We must link arms together to fight against extremism from all sides - and the only way to do this begins by opposing the narrative that Islam is a religion of terrorism - just as we strongly oppose anyone who would attempt to argue that Christianity is a religion of terrorists.
In the spirit of Jihad - join me in fighting for the self-discipline of rational thought and discussion based on truth and research. Help me to arrive there by enlightening facets of the conversation that I have missed.
Thoughts are encouraged in the comment section! Also - Plus 1 this post - I don't really know what that means, but it seems like a good idea.
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