Most Islamic scholars reject jihad as a tool for forced conversion

Evidence

Jihad has also been used in the context of conversion. This supports a common conception of Islam: that it is a religion of the sword. In fact, some scholars have expressed that jihad is legitimate in converting a non-Muslim to Islam. Ibn Khaldun, for example, believed that holy war is a religious duty of the Muslims “because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force.” 13 However, most scholars of Islam (Egyptian scholars Mahmud Shaltut and Sayyid Qutb, for example) agree that jihad is never justified simply based on the goal of converting a non- Muslim. 14 This opinion stems from a verse in the Qur’an that states that there is no compulsion in religion. 15 They also point to other verses that seem to suggest Islam’s acceptance of a diversity of religious beliefs. — Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, 31

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the common misreading vs. scholarly consensus dynamic around other contested religious terms (e.g., crusade, holy war) in interfaith discourse. — connects to: Prominent Islamophobes like Pamela Gellar, Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes, Steven Emerson, and Frank Gaffney, as well as others, portray jihad as Muslims’ attempt to force non-Muslims to convert to Islam and eradicate those who refuse. They establish non-governmental organizations and carry out campaigns dedicated to the portrayal of Islam as a violent religion and use their own interpretation of jihad as proof.; This opinion stems from a verse in the Qur’an that states that there is no compulsion in religion. They also point to other verses that seem to suggest Islam’s acceptance of a diversity of religious beliefs. Jihad is also used in the context of dying for Islam. According to the Qur’an, dying for Islam is the highest form of witness to God. Jihad is sometimes invoked in order to encourage Muslims to participate in wars against non-Muslims because a Muslim who dies on the battlefield for the cause of Islam will be directly admitted into heaven.; By the end of the 19th century, Khan’s interpretation of jihad as defensive warfare became popular in the Middle East, especially in Egypt. This was due to the adoption of this ideal by Muhammad Abduh and Muhammad Rashid Rida, two other modernist scholars of Islam. Where they differed from Khan is their extension of the legitimacy of jihad to cases of a foreign invader into Islamic territory for political and economic reasons. They believed that, in such cases, the doctrine of jihad could be invoked in order to resist colonial conquest. Rashid Rida, in particular, saw all rules of fighting mentioned in the Qur’an as rules intended for defending Muslims against enemies who fight them because of their religion. (+3 more)
• DEFINE: Clarifies that jihad in conversion contexts is contested, with mainstream scholars citing Qur’an verses against compulsion.

Broader Connections

• Modern Islamic scholars define jihad as spiritual striving, not holy war #corroborates (0.70) — Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, 69
• In general, disagreement among Muslims regarding the use of jihad has been deeply influenced by social and political contexts. In fact, in recent decades, many Muslims believe it is their right or… #responds-to (0.60)
• Gallup polling shows Muslim religiosity correlates with rejecting rather than supporting terrorism #qualifies (0.40) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 674