Jihadi or Jihadist Defined

Jihadi or Jihadist Defined Jihadi,  or  jihadist,  refers to a person who believes that an Islamic state governing the entire community of Muslims must be  created and that this necessity justifies violent conflict with those who stand in its way. Although jihad is a concept that can be found in the Quran, the terms jihadi, jihadi ideology and jihadi movement are modern concepts related to the rise of political Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries. Jihadi History Jihadis are a narrow group made up of adherents who interpret Islam, and the concept of jihad, to mean that war must be waged against states and groups who in their eyes have corrupted the ideals of Islamic governance. Saudi Arabia is high on this list because it claims to be ruling according to the precepts of Islam, and it is the home of Mecca and Medina, two of Islams holiest sites. The name that was once most visibly associated with jihadi ideology was the late  Al Qaeda  leader, Osama bin Laden.  As a youth in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden was highly influenced by Arab Muslim teachers and others who were radicalized in the 1960s and 1970s by the combination of: The Arab defeat in the 1967 war with IsraelOppressive and corrupt Arab governmentsRapidly urbanizing and modernizing society Dying a Martys Death Some saw  jihad, a violent overthrow of all that was wrong with society, as a necessary means to create a properly Islamic, and more orderly, world. They idealized martyrdom, which also has a meaning in Islamic history, as a way to fulfill a religious  duty. Newly converted jihadis found great appeal in the romantic vision of dying a martyrs death. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Arab Muslim adherents of jihad took up the Afghan cause as the first step in creating an Islamic state. (Afghanistans population is Muslim, but they are not Arabs.) In the early 1980s, bin Laden worked with the  mujahideen  fighting a self-proclaimed holy war to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan.  Later,  in 1996, bin Laden signed and issued the Declaration of Jihad Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, meaning Saudi Arabia. A Jihadis Work Is Never Done Lawrence Wrights recent book, The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, offers an  account of this period as a formative moment of jihadi belief: Under the spell of the Afghan struggle, many radical Islamists came to believe that jihad never ends. For them, the war against the Soviet occupation was only a skirmish in an eternal war. They called themselves jihadis, indicating the centrality of war to their religious understanding. Those Who Strive In recent years, the word  jihad  has become synonymous in many minds with a form of religious extremism that causes a great deal of fear and suspicion. It is commonly thought to mean holy war, and especially to represent efforts of Islam extremist groups against others. Yet, the current modern definition of  jihad  is contrary to the  linguistic meaning of the word, and also contrary to the beliefs held by most  Muslims.   The word  jihad  stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means strive. Jihadis, then, would literally translate as those who strive. Other words derived from this root include effort, labor, and fatigue. Thus, jihadis are those who attempt to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in the form of fighting the evil in their own hearts, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but Muslims view this as a last resort, and it in no way is meant to mean to spread Islam by the sword, as the stereotype now suggests. Jihadi or Jihadist In the Western press, there is a serious  debate about whether the term should be jihadi or jihadist. The  Associated Press, whose newsfeed is  seen by more than half the world’s population every day via AP newspaper stories, television news, and even  the internet, is very specific about what jihad means and which term to use, noting that jihad is an: Arabic noun used to refer to the Islamic concept of the struggle to do good. In particular situations, that can include holy war, the meaning extremist Muslims commonly use. Use  jihadi  and  jihadis. Do not use  jihadist. Yet,  Merriam-Webster, the dictionary AP generally relies on for definitions, says either term- jihadi or jihadist- is acceptable, and even defines jihadist as  a Muslim who advocates or participates in a  jihad. The respected dictionary also  defines the term jihad  as: ... a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty;  also:  a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline. So, either jihadi or jihadist is acceptable unless you work for the AP, and the term can mean either one who wages a holy war on behalf of Islam  or  one who is undergoing a personal, spiritual, and internal struggle to achieve supreme devotion to Islam. As with many politically or religiously charged words, the correct word and interpretation depend on your viewpoint and worldview.