Jihad,+Its+Effects+and+Its+History

=Origin of the Jihad= Jihad now means "Holy War" and was used as a means of defense of Muhammad and those who followed his teachings against those who would harm them, namely pagan Arabs, Jews, and Christians. JIHAD literally means struggle or internal struggle and the way to better oneself. The Military Jihad however was reserved for those who actively opposed the peaceful spread of Islam and " became an astomming block to others to follow to the road to salvation". Muhammad then trained many of his believers as fighters to subjagate those who belligerently opposed him.The Jihad must be declared by a religious leader. No political or administrative leader can initiate a Jihad. =﻿Difference between "greater" and "lesser" Jihad= It is said that Muhammad came back from a war he said that he and his people came back from waging lesser war to fight for a greater war. What he meant was that a Jihad was to internal (greater) war with blessing from Allah instead of fighting without the blessing of Allah. It so happened that most Muslims thought they could fight and start a Jihad without the blessing of Allah. In the Quran it states that a Jihad can be started by self-defense etc. However, Muslims decided to fight for what they believed in was self defense so they thought they had the right. =﻿Modern Day Jihad= [|Culture of Jihad] Today the Jihad is used by fundamental Muslim extremists to justify their muderous and deadly tactics and actions. Instead of being a means of defence or introspective reflection it is used to wage a war against the Western culture and civilization. Orginizations such as Al-Qaeda and Hezbolla attack the West or anyone associated with them, mainly America. Jihad has disintegrated into merely a war of oppression and terror. The Taliban was created to at first created to produce fighters to take back Afghanistan from the Soviet Union but now may of those same leaders and fighters have joined those waging the Jihad.
 * Creators: Dallin Rivera & Michael El-Hayek﻿**

=﻿Terrorism: It's effects on the View of Islam= A famous incident of the effects of terrorism was 9/11 when members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked and flew 2 planes into the World Trade Center. This horrific attack led many to believe that Islam's idea of Jihad was a terrible one and was just used as an excuse for violence. The Quran was targeted. Some people thought if they were destroy or burn a Quran that it would send a message to all Muslims. However, this event never went through. Muslims continued to terrorize as they started suicide bombings on buses full of innocent people. The Muslims people who were against this form of Jihad were being attacked just because of their religious views. Yet, only these terrorist groups deserve to be punished. toc