Terrorism - A Peaceful Jihad is an Oxymoron
In June of 2002, when asked to give a graduation speech at Harvard, Zayed Yasin, a Muslim, wrote a speech in which he explained his definition of a Jihad. In accordance with the subject matter, Yasin titled his speech “My American Jihad.” When Harvard requested him to change the title, he complied. This action, though, stirred up many who believed Yasin had a right to use his original title. From the stance John Milton takes in his essay, Aeropagitica, one can clearly see that he would argue against Harvard’s decision to censor the title of Yasin’s speech. Milton, however, overzealously defends free speech and fails to recognize that the authorities must withhold some things from people under their governing authority.
Though Yasin appears to attempt to portray a different aspect of the word “Jihad” in his speech than that aspect that has dominated America over the past year, he fails to recognize its more common meaning. Rather, he excuses the common meaning as having been “corrupted and misinterpreted.” In his speech, Yasin explains that to him, Jihad “is the determination to do right, to do justice even against your own interests. It is an individual struggle for personal moral behavior.” Yasin continues to explain his definition of Jihad and gives more details about it. According to author Abdullah Al Araby, although Yasin correctly describes Jihad as a personal, inner struggle, Jihad also means, “fighting in the name of Allah.” Al Araby explains, “In this sense Jihad is the struggle for the cause of spreading Islam, using all means available to Muslims, including force. This kind of Jihad is often referred to as ‘Holy War’.” As a result of the recent September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, people refer to this definition when discussing the term Jihad. Contrary to popular belief, Islam does not teach peace to the extent most Americans think it does. The Qu’ran, the holy book of Islam, commands, "Fight (kill) them (non-Muslims), and Allah will punish (torment) them by your hands, cover them with shame" (Surah 9:14). Numerous similar commands exist in the Qu’ran (Al Araby).
Not only does Yasin present a misleading and deceptive argument by explaining merely half of the meaning of the term Jihad, but he also, by using the term in conjunction with the adjective “American,” implies that Americans participate in Jihad.
Berry College softball had a tremendous season in the spring of 2011. They recorded a 20 and 11 season, which is more than a 50 percent win-lose ratio, (Berry Athletics). Although this is a winning season, the team and the coaches expect improvements next season. The one area of improvement that could benefit the team is full defense. Full defense refers to the infield, outfield, and most importantly, the pitchers. Among the defense in the 2011 season, they committed 59 errors. Their opponents committed 73. Even though Berry had 14 fewer errors than their opponents, this can easily be reduced with extra defensive practice. It is critical to make the least amount of errors as possible. In addition to errors, ERA's are critical. ERA's are earned runs allowed. This average determines how effective pitchers are. For individuals who are not familiar with softball or baseball terms, there are two types of runs scored; runs that the opposing team have earned by base hits, and runs that are unearned by errors and walks. Last year, the two pitchers combined for a 2.97 ERA. This simply means that the pitchers on average allowed 2 to 3 runs a game. The individual leading pitcher ERA last season in the GSAC, (Great South Atlantic Conference), was 1.92, (www.greatsouth.org). Berry’s pitching staff allowed one additional run each game when compared to the leader of the GSAC. If we can minimize runs scored and commit fewer errors, we should be able to improve and win more games.
Judge David Soukup's nightly ponderings led to the inception of the Court Appointed special Advocate (CASA) program, which specially trains volunteers to provide a voice for children in dependency and custody cases. Today, CASA is a national organization that has 50,000 community volunteers who advocate for children's rights across 49 states.
Downs, S., Moore, E., McFadden, E., & Costin, L. (2004). Child welfare and family services: Policies and practice. (7th. Ed., pp. 319-363) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
... and Jihad According to Islam." HWeb. HWeb, 13 June 2006. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. .
The concept of Jihad was not widely known in the western world before the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Since then, the word has been woven into what our media and government feed us along with notions of Terrorism, Suicide Bombings, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, and now, Jihad. Our society hears exhortations resounding from the Middle East calling the people to rise up in Jihad and beat back the imperialist Americans. Yet, if we try to peel back all of these complex layers of information we can we attempt to find out what Jihad really means. Webster’s Dictionary defines Jihad as “a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty or a crusade for a principle or belief” (1). Often, media depicts Jihad in the same manner—as a vicious clash between two very different peoples, each of whom believes that righteousness, and in many cases God, is on their side. From this interpretation and our daily media intake, one may reasonably assume that Jihad refers to nothing more than violent acts, or “holy wars.”
Gaughan, P. A., 2002. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate restructuring. 3rd ed.New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Because stem cells are essentially a blank slate, scientists are theoretically capable of growing any human tissue cell. There is enormous medical potential in this. Stem cell research is the next step in advancing the medical field. It is comparable to the discovery of penicillin or the inoculation for smallpox.
Many children across the country are wrongfully removed from their homes everyday by workers with an anti-family mindset, who use removal as a first resort not a last. It is not only detrimental to the child’s well-being, but is also immorally abusive to the child. The goal of the child welfare system is to promte safety, permanency, and wellness among all children.
...mbers have used the same words before they committed their suicidal actions. The connections between terrorism and Islam are pointed out clearly when the extremists say that they are waging a “holy war” against their enemies. Extremists have used Islam as a justification to attack churches, Hindu and Buddhist temples. Due to the fact that the terrorist who carried out such criminal and inhumane acts associate himself or herself with Muslim religion, the public comes to view Islam as a severe risk. In reality, only 15% of the 1 billion Muslims are extremists and out of that 15%, only a few engage in terrorist activities. However, most news stories do not focus on the places where things are going right, but on the places where things are going wrong. Due to all this, it is clear that the extremists play a large role in pinning the scarlet letter on Muslims in the US.
Stem cells are an ongoing research project in which new discoveries are being made about them, and researchers are learning how to use them in new ways. The three current kinds of stem cells all prove to have their own challenges when it comes to using them. The important thing is finding out which stem cell is right for the patient and how much of an ethical concern there is when it comes to using the stem cell. As we learn the best way to use them and they become more popular in the medical field, stem cells will become a new weapon in the fight against certain diseases.
The Jihad is probably one of the most misunderstood and feared terms in modern day America. Ever since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11th, 2001, the Muslim religious duty of Jihad has had only negative connotations. Of course, seeing two trademark buildings collapsed and mangled on the groundwith thousands dead all in the name of religion would have anyone jump to a negative conclusion. But what most people don’t understand is that the meaning of the term “Jihad” is one greatly left up to interpretation. Each sect of the Islamic religion has a different take on this religion duty and the expectation that go along with it. Therefore, the idea of Jihad that America has learned to fear might not be the true meaning, concept, and intention of the word at all.
Christianity has been in America since the Colonial Era (1600’s - 1700’s), and for over three centuries has dominated and deeply engrained itself into American Society . Islam, however, has only been introduced recently, and this has caused Islamic Believers (or Muslims) residing in America to be misinterpreted. After the September 11 bombings in 2001, there was a huge hatred for Muslims as they were interpreted as a religion that promotes destruction in the name of ‘Jihad’, or as it is often mistranslated as ‘Holy war’ . Although, the meaning of ‘Jihad’ is much wider than just ‘Holy war’, it is an internal struggle, within each Muslim, “…to be a good Muslim as well as advance the cause of Islam.” The Western understanding of ‘jihad’ however has been twisted to become related to terrorism. Whereas, Christians claim to promote the qualities of hard-work, honesty and moderation, and are therefore highly thought of in American Society, not only because of their supposed all encompassing teachings, but also because of their dominance as a religion in the Western World.
The term jihadi was not always commonly recognized in the United States. It was not until the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that the word jihad became widely known. Since the terrorist attacks, the media and the U.S. government have used the word jihad to invoke frightening images of non-Americans coming to destroy American freedoms and to define Islam. Today, scholars have begun to try to define this complex word and its multitude of meanings. When viewers tune into the news, it is sometimes difficult to unravel the layers of information that is being fed to them by the media and the U.S. government. In its most literal form, the term “jihad is an Arabic term meaning, as a noun, ‘struggle’ or, as a verb, ‘to exert effort’ toward a goal” (International Ency 1). However, in Mary Pat Fisher’s book Living Religions the chapter on Islam discusses how the definition of the term jihad is “commonly mistranslated as ‘holy war’ (Fisher 148). While the media frequently portrays jihad consistent with the idea of “struggle,” the media almost always flips the definition on its head by suggesting that this struggle is a malicious struggle between two groups of peoples, each of whom believes that righteousness, and in many cases God, is on their side and evil is on the other side. Suggesting that jihad and violence are in connection with each other has been the case since pre-modern times. In fact, Fisher suggests that the primary associations of the word jihad are religious, specifically with reference the Prophet Mohammad and to the religion of Islam, but also invoke a sense of violence or resistance against an opposing force. While violence and jihad have typically been spoken about together, as of late, the...
Downs-Whitelaw, S., Moore, E., &McFadden, E. J. (2009). Child welfare and family services: Policies and practice, USA: Parson Education Inc.
Through the years the idea that Islam is an aggressive religion has been developed. This is mainly due to the fact that the word "jihad" -- a very important concept in Islamic faith -- is often misunderstood or its initial meaning is intentionally misrepresented. From the very beginning of Islamic invasion in Europe a sense of devotion to the religion was instilled in the Muslim soldiers and believers. Religion was a really important part of their lives. The soldiers were taught to die for Allah in their holy war against unbelievers -- this was the so-called jihad. However, if one examines thoroughly the Quran, the saint book for Muslims, he/she will find that jihad carries a completely different meaning -- this is an internal struggle with oneself for achievements in a certain filed or, simply, for self-improvement. Even though most Islamic believers know what jihad really is, there are zealots that still look for excuse for their appalling and inhumane deeds in the abovementioned word. Nowadays, this is still a major problem, especially concerning the...