Jihad Means More than "A Peaceful Self-Struggle"!

by Maher Gabra  •  July 11, 2017 at 4:00 am

• What Linda Sarsour said is technically correct, but simply not accurate. It is just half of the truth. What Sarsour did not, and probably will not, say is that the concept of jihad in Islam, as it is widely taught and understood in Islamic jurisprudence, is not only self-struggle or peaceful opposition, but also using force and violence to defend Islam, as well as to spread and impose it on non-Muslims.
• In one of the Al-Azhar high school's books -- Persuasion: On Decoding Abu Shuga's Terms/Expressions -- it teaches that fighting infidels, even if they have not attacked Muslims, is a religious obligation for every able and free Muslim man.
• Failure to convert to Islam is therefore often viewed as an attack -- against which Islam must be defended.

Linda Sarsour, a Muslim activist, has called for jihad against U.S. President Donald J. Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Linda Sarsour, a Muslim activist, has called for jihad against U.S. President Donald J. Trump. In her speech addressing the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) on July 6, 2017, she said: "when a man asked prophet Muhammad about the best form of jihad, he replied it is a word of truth in front of tyrant ruler." And then she said:

"I hope that ... when we stand up to those who oppress our communities, that Allah accepts from us that as a form of jihad, that we are struggling against tyrants and rulers not only abroad in the Middle East or on the other side of the world, but here in these United States of America, where you have fascists and white supremacists and Islamophobes reigning in the White House."

One may disagree with her views on President Trump, but Sarsour has every right to express her opinion. However, calling for "jihad" against our president is an extremely serious red flag that we should not ignore.

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