Cultural Expressions of Islam
As we have asked of all the religious worldviews, how does theology get translated
into the way Muslims live their lives? We admit that the line between religion and
worldly events is often a thin one, yet there are clues as to what unites the two. We
now search for some of those clues.The Message and Response to Jihad
There is perhaps no word more incendiary or misunderstood since the events of 9/11
than the word“jihad.”ANational Geographicarticle echoes the notion:“Jihadis a
loaded term—and a concept that illustratesa deep gulf of miscommunication
between Islam and the West. There are those in each community who see jihad as
a clash of civilizations—and act on those beliefs.”^149 This dispute and confusion
over the term colors both U.S. foreign policy and the perceptions of Islam held by
many Americans. Part of the misinterpretation and fear is due in part to the Islamic
extremists who employ the word“jihad”as a rhetorical device to inflame the pas-
sions of their followers and to threatentheir adversaries. As Matthews writes,“In
the Middle East, leaders usejihadas meaning struggle against Western countries’
influence and power in the world, particularly America, which is perceived as bent
on destroying the Arab way of life.”^150 We have observed specific examples of this
confrontational use of the word on numerous occasions. From Osama bin Laden to
leaders in Iran to opposition forces fighting in Afghanistan to justification of the
violence in Israel, invoking the word“jihad”is a powerful rallying cry.
Part of the problem when using or hearing the word“jihad”is that within Islamic
theology the word has multiple meanings. This variety of meanings for the word goes
back centuries. A reading of the Koran and interpretations advanced by imams (Mus-
lim prayer leaders) reveal two meanings for the word, both of which are used by fol-
lowers of the faith. One,inner jihad, deals with the individual and designates“the
internal struggle each Muslim should engage in to improve himself or herself, to sub-
mit to God and restrain from sinful impulses.”^151
It is the second interpretation, theouter jihad, that causes problems both inside
and outside the Islamic faith. This meaning speaks to those activities that either
defend Islam or advance its spread. Hence, early wars that Muslims engaged in to
bring new lands or peoples under Islamic control were known asjihad wars.Mus-
lims suggest that these wars were similar to the Christian crusades. One of the
most famous of these wars is discussed by Armstrong, who points out that
Arabs, in the name of Islam,“waged a Jihad against their imperial masters the
Ottomans, believing that Arabs, not Turks, should lead the Muslim peoples.”^152
Even today, many Arab Muslims believe that their land and their faith are in
danger if they do not wage war against the West. It is easy to see how this ori-
entation contributes to a militant vision of the Islamic tradition. Regardless of
the merits of this line of reasoning,
it behooves you to understand the
importance that jihad carries in
the Islamic tradition and to try to
discover which of the two meanings
is being employed when a person
speaks about a jihad.CONSIDER THIS
The Islamic notion ofjihadincludes more than one interpretation.
What are some of those interpretations?134 CHAPTER 4•Worldview: Cultural Explanations of Life and Death
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