Marley Pegler Bio
Jihad for Dummies:
A Frustrated Student's Journey through a twenty-five page Research Paper
As I aimlessly browsed through the shelves at C. Burr Arts Library, I came across a book, What A Billion Muslims Really Think, by John Esposito. Before I even cracked open the cover, the title took me; it made me reconsider a topic I hardly noticed.
Somehow, this inspired me to dedicate a twenty-five page research assignment to the topic of jihad. Which by the way, I knew absolutely nothing about. I'd never taken a course on Islamic, or even Eastern Studies. About two months ago, this sounded like a wonderful idea. Now, as my deadline looms, and I've gone through about six theses, I realize how crazy that decision truly was. Here's my seventh thesis, my best yet: jihad is confusing.
In the midst of 53 library books and hundreds of extraneous post it notes, my stomach lurches as I approach my laptop to attempt to write. I begin to type, the "clack clack clack" of the keyboard encourages me forward. I stop to find a reference in book # 36 The Shade of Swords, by M.J. Akbar. Thirty minutes later, I emerge from the book with that familiar feeling of uncertainty and dread. I am no longer satisfied with thesis # 8. I dive into the jihad cave beneath my towering piles of library books to begin my search for yet another thesis. Here's my ninth thesis: jihad is really confusing. And here's my support:
John Esposito, the author that inspired me to write this dreadful paper, defines jihad as, "'striving or struggling' in the way of God… the obligation incumbent on all Muslims to realize God's will, to lead virtuous lives..." While Webster's Third New International Dictionary presents jihad in a very different light: "a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; a bitter strife or crusade undertaken in the spirit of a holy war against the unbelievers and the infidels." These two definitions couldn't possibly be defining the same thing. What is jihad? Is it holy war or is it a peaceful spiritual struggle to live a good life? To my Western, non-Muslim mind these two concepts seem to contradict one another; they couldn't possibly both be jihad. Then which one is incorrect? The more I learn about Islam and jihad, the more I realize how little I know, and how much I have yet to understand. Ugh. This is making me nauseous. Soooo confusing.
Wait, maybe that's it! Jihad is confusing, or perhaps a better word would be complex, more thesis-y. Jihad is a complex concept that cannot be oversimplified by classifying it as purely peaceful or simply holy war. As ambiguous as it seems, jihad is both a peaceful spiritual cleansing and holy war against the infidel, not to mention everything in between. I revisit Esposito's definition, "'striving or struggling' in the way of God." The inner jihad is the personal struggle to overcome the "inner demons," and the outer jihad is the violent struggle to defend or expand Islam and its community. In order to truly understand jihad we have to accept all aspects of it, not just those that fit neatly into a thesis or Western perception of reality.
Wow, I never knew kvetching could inspire an insight. I wonder if I could kvetch my way through twenty three more pages of thoughtful insight. It's worth another dive or two into the jihad cave.
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