The "Other" Jihad

by: Brad Gustafson

My usual morning routine (when i'm on my work schedule; not sleeping through a brutal hangover) is waking up at 7 am to an entirely too short shower, munching on a Fiber One bar, friendly mental and emotional harassment towards my roomate (some of you know the deal), and then off to work. The first thing I check at work is the news, and to my dismay..it's another similar headline... "More Marines killed in the Middle East", "Car Bomb kills innocent civilians in Iraq", "Obama discussing nuclear restrictions with Iran.." etc. What if we could see "Israel reaches peace agreement with Palestine", "Al Qaeda All Stars retiring", "Stability in the Middle East on the horizon"? Yeah right...

So here is my spew...

Religious justification for violent actions has been the most catastrophic notion throughout the history of the world. The term "Jihad" is understood in the West as a holy war on behalf of Islam. Jihad actually means something far different. The "other" Jihad originated as the idea of war with one's self in attempt to live a more righteous life. It was meant to be a continuous struggle (holy war) with your inner demons in order to improve your standing with Allah (Think of Christians battling sin).It was never intended to breed hatred between religions.Where in the Qu'ran is Jihad used to signify violence or hatred for others? It isn't.

Look at the similarities between religious groups who condemn each other. They are overwhelming. God and his son Jesus Christ, Allah and his prophet Muhammad, and Siddhartha (Buddha) all share so much in common. The sameness is astounding when you sit and compare. Why has Jihad, an idea created to improve the world, been twisted into an idea of vengeance and brutality against each other?

It's because power hungry Muslims need an excuse for their corruption. They brainwash the painfully naive Muslim youth with false ideals and distorted information. They send them out as suicide bombers "in the name of Allah" with false assurances of rewards in the afterlife and promises of respect and admiration from the Islamic community. These Muslims followers are so susceptible that they are quickly convinced that their purpose in life is to genocide their religious opposites.

Religion has viciously torn this world apart since it's existence. At the same time I feel like it is the only solution for unity. Sound like a conundrum? If we can be more conscious of the parallelism connecting our religions, then maybe this will establish a common bond we can use to appreciate and respect one another. Any other ideas?