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If to get deeper in understanding the concept of Jihad, it is possible to find that wrong understanding of holy war could cause some tensions. The original meaning of Jihad is to make an effort in order to achieve Allahs mercy. This means that every true Muslim should observe Five Pillars of Islam and should strive to do his best in obeying all the laws. Islam teaches that all the people are sinners (Koran 16, 61) and that salvation can be obtained only through observing the Five Pillars. This is one way of understanding Jihad.
This holy war is actually peaceful strive or effort to make sure that everything goes according to Five Pillars. Sunni-Muslims, who are 90 % of all Muslim population, view Jihad in this way. Nevertheless, there is such teaching of the 18 th century, called Wakhabism. It is extreme, authoritarian, and puritanical Islamic orthodoxy, which stringently forbade just about everything not considered to be sanctioned by literal interpretations of the Koran. Osama bin Laden actually absorbed these teachings. In addition, today Wahhabism was superseded by a new and more extreme and stridently anti-Western form of Islamic orthodoxy called Salafism.
Salafism teaches Muslims to hate modern, developed, and especially western countries. However, this stream does not have a big support in the majority of the Muslim world. The ideas of Salafists can be supported by: When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have made a great slaughter among them (Koran, Sura XLVII). O prophet, stir up the faithful to war... until he had made a great slaughter of the infidels of the earth (Koran, Sura VIII).
Salafists even started to claim that their stream is the right one and therefore, started to hate traditional Muslims. Besides, some of Salafists believe that terrorist acts are suitable methods in order to be successful in their view on Jihad. The majority of Muslims do not support out breakers with radical teachings. Islamic law forbids harm to noncombatants (Roy Mottahedeh, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2001). Koran says: Fight in the path of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors. (2: 190, Koran).
This makes clear that the primary reasons for Jihad is liberation, but not aggression. Koran supports the war for the defense, but disapproves killing civilians.
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Research essay sample on Five Pillars Holy War
