Jihad within Jihad

In amidst of political turmoil in state, at the pick time of election season where all and everyone is in indulge in blame game. I stuck up at year old issue of Jihad. Jihad, most misunderstood, most used and most abused word. Jihad in Islamic sense is word claiming for internal or spiritual purification. It is always considered as ‘Pak’ (holy) in Islamic writings. It is struggle for avoiding, rejecting and destroying internal evils, sins, lust, greed etc. It’s a very powerful word, it fundamentally meant to abide the followers (bande) to the moral codes of Islam and seek eternal peace for soul.

Since centuries in Muslim world, people use to keep names of their kids as Jihad, as Christians used to keep it as Grace and Hindu used to keep it as Bhakti. But in recent times, conception of Jihad got diluted. There exists a group of minorities which believes that, Jihad is not only internal struggle but it also an external fight against the forces which threatens the faith and faithfulness. And for this it is valid to take up arms and sacrifice life of self.  Thousands of Muslim young men took up this as cause of purification.

Such conception of Jihad got momentous during 80s in Afghanistan where small minority group called Mujahideen(people doing Jihad) came up. America supported this small group, which was fighting against soviet occupation Muslim states.  American government gave them money, weapons and all other kind of support to encourage their struggle for freedom. But within that group, tinny group was coming up with new and innovative conception of Jihad. Osama Bin Laden became representative of this group. He re-defined the idea of Jihad. His conception about Jihad was more global and terrific. He targeted far sitting enemies and claimed himself as a crusader. His ridiculous act of 9/11 terrified world, killing more than 3000 people in the name of Jihad changed the Idea and conception Jihad itself.

Laden, actually institutionalized the word Jihad. His new definition was so strong that people in Muslim as well as rest of world his definition was accepted. America also helped to popularize this diluted definition of Jihad. Jihad was by now started linked with identity. Jihad movements were converted into war. America, by this time pressurized its Arab allies to eradicate Jihad movements. At the same time, definition of Bin Laden got equated with terrorism. Wide acceptance of Jihad as extremism made people to forget real definition and concept of Jihad. Laden, kidnapped the idea of Jihad and corrupted its concept. He did this in such manner that every men and every country on this globe accepted his definition of Jihad.

Good news is that definition of Jihad given by Bin Laden is almost dying off. Opinion poll across the world shows that people are not willing follow Laden’s definition of ‘external’ global Jihad. There exist common consensuses in Muslim world about separating terrorism from Jihad. That doesn’t mean that Ladenism is getting weaker. Ladenism is now penetrated local level, it exists in small groups within countries like Somalia, Mali, Nigeria, etc.  This local Jihad is still influenced by Laden’s ideas. Of course they are not operating at larger level, they are focusing on local issues, and they address issues like racism, ethnicity, sectarianism etc. these movements are now narrowed down to power struggles. Jihad is now reached to a point where we can claim that, like politics, jihad is also local.

Local Jihad is also not an excuse to sit back and relax. The very idea of Jihad as extremism actually initiated at local level. Let’s not forgot that birth of Taliban (when it took over Kabul) was also a local movement which latter on served as great blunder (when Taliban gave Khandhar to Al Qaeda, around 1988) of so called super power. For Bin Laden 9/11 was achievement but for rest of Muslim world that was act of evil because of whom faith in/for Islam was threaten. It was very much necessary to remove fear and terror internally.  Because of this Laden’s Idea of Jihad didn’t become successful for becoming mainstream idea.

Internet and Communication technology served as great tool for real Jihad (internal purification) against terrorism.  Communication Technology if used for purification, can serves as great tool. SEAL Team Six killed Laden but half of dozen satellite television transmission (including Al Jazeera) and the twitting and updating Facebook generation killed Ladenism. These communication technology brought out hypocrisy and exposed Laden in front of Muslim as well as whole world.  The assassination of Laden itself gives very intense evidence for usage of technology for internal purification (which the real meaning Jihad). Credit of real jihad also goes to Young people involved in Arab Spring which showed a way to young Muslims to bring about internal change in manner which Laden never considered. Many of countries after Arab Spring frame their own governments in their own way and many of governments are Islamic who completely discard the idea of violent Jihad.

All of these things, if put together at local level we can find that Jihad is actually good!! American military is not going invade countries facing local extremism. It’s the people in those countries who can upsurge themselves and strive for internal purification. These people need economic assistant, expertise, technological knowhow; private investments, education, medicine, fair terms of trades, technical and administrative support etc. and most importantly they need time and understanding. They are cleaning their home, and it’s our time now to help our neighbors and brothers to tolerate their cleaning activities.