FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

To explain this point, let me give you an example. ‘Jihad’ is a term used in the Quran as well as in the Hadith. But Muslims generally consider this word synonymous with war. They use this word as though jihad and war are equivalent. While it is totally wrong. If you read the Quran objectively you will find that the Quran never uses jihad as synonymous with war. In fact, jihad simply means struggle and it is used in Islam as an ideological struggle rather than struggle by the sword. The other equivalent term of jihad is dawah, or the task of conveying the message of God to people. ‘Do jihad’ and ‘Do dawah’ are both equivalent terms. When the Quran tries to refer to war it uses another term, which is qital. So qital means war while jihad implies a peaceful struggle for the dissemination of Islamic principles which are essentially based on tawhid (the oneness of God). This is the basic problem regarding the understanding of Islam. If one wants to understand what Islam is, then one must differentiate between Islam and Muslims. They must know that Islam is an ideology based on the Quran and the prophetic teachings. Academically this is the first important principle for understanding Islam. Without keeping this in mind you cannot understand Islam. This differentiation is not only an academic requirement, it is also academic honesty. When Islam and the Muslim community both are different you must recognize this as a fact, otherwise you will be dishonest in studying this subject. o Dr. Farida Khanam hub@thespiritofislam.org To understand Islam, you have to judge Islam based on its original text. And, you have to judge Muslims in the light of Islamic teachings and not vice versa.