Response to commenter Richard Botluck

Submitted by Karsten Brasch (United States), Nov 2, 2002 at 01:33

"Granted, it is disingenuous to simply deny historical meaning, or the meaning accorded the term by other Muslims -- but there surely is a sense in which a modern secular Muslim could make an honest statement that jihad means inner struggle."

The problem I have with this rather simplistic explanation is that these so called "modern secular Muslims" have no choice but to hide the true meaning of Jihad. The above explanation comes under intense pressure to cover the violent deeds of fellow Islamists around the world. Did the Harvard student care to even once quote from the scores of authentic hadith (on which Islamic laws and rituals are based on) which leave no doubt as to the real meaning of Jihad? Surely if the meaning of Jihad was so unambiguous, all that needs to be done is to lay bare all that the hadiths and the Quran have to say on the subject!

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