Jihad - what does it mean

A jihad for understanding. 15 Aug 2007. ABC Central Victoria. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This tells me that Ms Chopra says it's upsetting that Muslims have to suffer because of other people's ignorance about Islam.

She says the word jihad does not mean 'holy war', as is often reported. Instead, she says it means 'struggle' and most Muslims understand the word on a personal basis.

Well I keep hearing that from Muslims - one on 702 the other day I think from Islamic Council. And to some it may well mean spiritual struggle as in not having food breaks in Ramadan. However there are clearly Muslims who mean it as Holy War in the sense of actual violence.

In the same way in the Middle Ages c1100 AD Christians used to go on Crusades which meant getting back Jerusalem from Muslims by war. In WW2 the media talked about Crusade in Europe ie the war against Hitler. Please note that was not a usage by Christians. However nowadays to Christians having a Crusade means having meetings at which the Good News about Jesus Christ is presented. Christians do not now use the word Crusade to mean an active war.

So Muslims I do urge and pray that you do stop the Jihad of a Holy War and concentrate on seeking a spiritual answer to the problems of life.

Jihad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and also
What is Jihad? - article by Daniel Pipes
and also
Jihad: The Fight Over Meaning: Harvard student's commencement speech on jihad causes controversy