Alwaght- The word crusade is defined as a vigorous campaign for political, social, or religious change in addition to its reference to military expeditions made by Europeans to wage war on Muslims in the Holy Land in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.
It has both historical and modern meanings akin to how Jihad is used in Arabic, even though the word Jihad existed in the language before Islam.
Nonetheless, both words signify action; a dynamic movement against an enemy, be it an army, a force, a notion, or even oneself.
Out of all of the existing Islamic teachings, the West is most terrified of the concept of Jihad. Fasting, prayer, charity, pilgrimage and many more Islamic principles do not directly imperil their ideals or for that matter the way they rule the world.
The notion of Jihad entails the fight against injustice and oppression because “the path of God” is the path of good. It necessitates that people speak up in the face of oppressors, take action against tyranny, and protect the holy religion. This means that through Jihad, Islam is an active religion that relentlessly attempts to change everything that is wrong with the world and bring about justice and prosperity for all people.
Without the belief in Jihad Islam would only be a passive religion lacking the ambition to change the world to a better place. Being a Muslim, then, would only require a person to perform religious duties that pertain to oneself, on an individual level, without much attention to the larger picture.
It is Jihad that has pushed hundreds of thousands of resistance fighters to head to the battlefield and fight against oppressors and the threat that stands before Islam. It is Jihad that prevents people from looking the other way when rulers transgress or turning a blind to crimes against humanity. It is for the same reason that a Muslim cannot stand idly by when two brothers try to kill each other. Instead, a Muslim is required to take the side of the one being oppressed and prevent the bloodshed of the innocent.
For those who live off bloodshed and injustice, Jihad is a threat to their longevity. Aware of this, Western leaders have been waging war against Jihad, by promoting within unbefitting contexts, understating its significance and defaming its nature.
One example of these attempts to obliterate the concept of Jihad is the reported bid to exclude Jihad verses from text books in Afghan Schools. The Americans had recently invaded Afghanistan and such a move would have—in their view—minimized resistance on the part of Afghans who perceived the US as an occupying enemy.
“Last month, a U.S. foreign aid official said, workers launched a "scrubbing" operation in neighboring Pakistan to purge from the books all references to rifles and killing. Many of the 4 million texts being trucked into Afghanistan, and millions more on the way, still feature Koranic verses and teach Muslim tenets.”
The move, however, is said to be an attempt to counteract the textbooks that the US had originally provided and which incited Afghans against the Soviet Union.
Another instance which is more valid and influential is the utilization of mass media to propagate a negative image of Jihad by ascribing it to what terrorists who act in the name of Islam are committing around the world. Branding terrorists as Jihadists in Western media instils fear in people who do not understand the Islamic concept of Jihad in its true form in a way that also provokes loathing and hatred of this Islamic duty. Specifically, when a Westerner hears the word Jihad, his or her mind instantly remembers ISIS because the terms are more often than not juxtaposed, a trick which insinuates that Jihad and terrorism are synonymous.
Theories also suggest that Western governments helped create terror organizations and labelled Jihadists to reach this end. Many claim the US funded terrorism in Afghanistan by promoting and arming extremist groups under the claim of Jihad.
“Former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, told the House of Commons that Al Qaeda was unquestionably a product of Western intelligence agencies. Mr. Cook explained that Al Qaeda, which literally means an abbreviation of “the database” in Arabic, was originally the computer database of the thousands of Islamist extremists, who were trained by the CIA and funded by the Saudis, in order to defeat the Russians in Afghanistan,” Garikai Chengu, a research scholar at Harvard University, writes.
Amid all claims and theories, what is certain is that what Jihad truly is and what is commonly thought of it are not one and the same and this needs to change. The way to change the misrepresentation of the concept of Jihad starts with the media which is guilty of spinning the facts and following the commands of Western powers.
