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🪵 The Threshold

Steve Emerson is a self-proclaimed expert on terrorism, Islamic extremism, and intelligence. Emerson has been one of the main actors in the exploitation of fears revolving around jihad and the…

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tagsja-picks, definitional_content, singleton, xref, category/definitional-content
aliases@green_fear_2015, loc. 285, @karipek_portrayals_2020, loc. 69

6 min read

Steve Emerson is a self-proclaimed expert on terrorism, Islamic extremism, and intelligence. Emerson has been one of the main actors in the exploitation of fears revolving around jihad and the shaping of Americans’ perception of this term by depicting jihad as a holy war and terrorism against Americans. In 2002, he published a book called American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us. The introduction sets the tone for the rest of the book: personal stories and observations to support his claims about various individuals and organizations who he deems to be ‘terrorists living among us.’ His book, however, does not discuss jihad or the meaning of this term. The prologue simply provides a caricature meaning of jihad as ‘holy war.‘

Evidence

We must also remember that jihad, which literally means “struggle,” has a long, complex history and cannot be reduced to the category of “holy war.” Jihad may connote the use of force, though whether this force is understood as defensive—to protect Muslims from external attack or threat—or expansionist has been a subject of debate in Islamic history. From the colonial period onward, many Muslim reformers and intellectuals argued that jihad means just or defensive war. On the other end of the spectrum, more radical Muslim thinkers, such as Sayyid Qutb, have understood jihad as permitting the violent overthrow of established governments in Muslim countries. All of these disagreements, moreover, reflect what some Muslim scholars call “the lesser jihad.” “The greater jihad,” they insist, pertains to the internal struggle against one’s own evil inclinations or desires. Some Muslims even insist that nonviolent jihad is the only legitimate kind. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 285 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

For the most part, modern-day literature on jihad focuses on the greater jihad: the struggle to be a loyal servant of God, the struggle for the good of Muslim society and against corruption and decadence, etc. At the same time, almost all of these writings emphasize that there is a wider argument. They point out the linguistic derivation of the term “jihad” from jahada, which means “to exert oneself” or “to strive” and that this has a much friendlier connotation than the word qital, which means “to fight.” The latter necessarily implies killing or bloodshed, whereas jihad does not. 60 For this reason, “holy war” is not considered to be an accurate definition by modern-day scholars. — Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, 69 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Categorization

  • XREF: connects to: When we think of jihad, what comes to mind? Holy war? ISIS? Violence? Terrorism? These are very common conceptions of jihad due to Western media portrayals of the term. When we turn on the news, we frequently see instances of terrorism in the name of Islam (primarily violence caused by the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria, or ‘ISIS’). In fact, many Americans believe that Islamic jihad connotes violence, hatred of non-Muslims, and ‘holy war.’ Dictionary.com defines jihad as ‘a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims’ and ‘any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle.’ The United States Department of Justice has even used ‘holy war’ as a definition of jihad in cases where an individual was indicted for an act of terrorism. Portrayals of jihad by American media lead to Americans’ misunderstanding of this term, thereby contributing to the construction of Islamophobia in America.; He then quotes a Palestinian fighter in Afghanistan to show his definition of jihad: holy war against the West and violence against ‘Jews and infidels.’ Such a simplistic and superficial definition of jihad causes him to blame all Muslims for the consequences of militant Islam. His book leaves readers with the idea that all Muslim immigrants are potential terrorists simply because they are Muslim. He completely ignores the identity of the American Muslim population, painting Islam as a ‘foreign’ and ‘terrorist’ ideology that has penetrated American society. In short, his book depicts any identification with Islam as a threat everyone, non-Muslims and Muslims alike because it cannot coexist with other religions due to its inherent nature of allowing Muslims to impose their faith on others. Furthermore, Emerson deliberately leaves the word ‘Allah’ untranslated in his book in order to give off the idea that the Muslims’ concept of God is different from the Judeo-Christian concept of God. He also uses terminology such as ‘holy jihad’ and ‘militant jihad’ in order to instill fear in his readers.; The Qur’an references jihad in several places. It carries different meanings based on context. For example, some verses deal with jihad in warfare. Extremist and terrorist Muslims often use these verses to justify aggressive holy war against non-Muslims. They freely declare jihad and justify attacks and murders of all who do not join their campaign. For example, according to a 2016 study conducted by the Carter Center, a non-governmental organization devoted to advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering established by Jimmy Carter in 1982, two of the verses most utilized by ISIS to justify violent jihad are from Surah Tawbah. (+5 more)

Broader Connections

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