Peaceful Jihad is Possible

Most modern Muslims are peace-loving, educated, and employed people with families to care of. For these Muslims living in both Middle-Eastern and Western societies, the 'bronze age' concept of violent Jihad is utterly dispicable, embarassing, and ultimately outdated. Instead, Jihad should be thought of as peaceful struggle. Muslim scholar, Mahmoud Ayoub has it right when he correctly states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."

In fact, radicals and militant Islamists like Osama bin Laden have it all wrong with their current-day interpretation of violent 'Jihad'. Osama bin Laden has repeatedly incorrectly quoted the Ibn Taymiyya's "Mardin fatwa" in his efforts for Muslims to overthrow the Saudi monarchy and wage jihad against the United States.

In a recent conference held in Mardin, Turkey, it was declared that the fatwa by 14th-century scholar Ibn Taymiyya actually rules out militant violence, and the medieval Muslim division of the world into a "house of Islam" and "house of unbelief" no longer applies. Age-old Muslim texts can often times be used to refute current-day religious arguments made by militant Islamist groups. "It is not for a Muslim individual or a Muslim group to announce and declare war or engage in combative jihad ... on their own.", the conference said.

In our globalized world that repects faith and civil rights, it is important for Muslims all over to refute the false arguments that these militant Islamist groups use to justify their killing. Sorry bin Laden, peaceful Jihad is possible.

To learn more see:

National Post, "Bin Laden wrong on fatwa: scholars" : www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2751046

Daily Mail UK, "Muslim scholars issue fatwa... on jihad" : news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/519776.stm

Vancouver Sun, "Fatwa rules out violence, scholars say" : http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Fatwa+rules+violence+scholars/2752379/story.html