"Jihad" does not mean "holy war"!

I'm sick of seeing this all over news articles. If the media stopped being ignorant and actually took the time to look up the word "Jihad" in an Arabic dictionary, they wouldn't be putting out half the crap they do now.

No, it DOES NOT mean "holy war". Jihad is a word used to express "struggle". In the Holy Quran, it is used to express struggle in the name of Allah. And no, this does not automatically mean waging war. A muslim working in the New York Stock Exchange and simply integrating himself into American society can be seen as a Muslim with a personal Jihad. A Muslim professor in a university teaching about the modern interpretation of the Quran can also be seen as a Muslim with a personal Jihad.

So the next time you hear the word "Jihad", don't piss your pants, or breathe harder, or panic. The media doesn't know what they're talking about.

Seriously, let's get with it.

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