Defaming the term 'Jehad'

Jehad is now excessively jumbled term making the minds immensely confused regarding it. Particularly, after the incident of 9/11 and Afghanistan and Iraq were savagely invaded by America, the matter has become so convoluted that there are among the committed Muslims showing their hesitance and even doubt whether there remains any justification for taking arms for any struggle to defend a Muslim community and the geographical and ideological boundaries of a Muslim country or not. Palestinians, Kashmiris and Afghans have been fighting for their freedom for decades. The charter of human rights and the resolutions of the UNO give them the right for struggle against those who have deprived them of their rights and to fight for a free and honourable life. The Muslims all around the world, as individuals and as the communities, have their moral and religious duty to help their brothers.

Jehad is a clearly stipulated and highlighted call of the Quran to bring the corrupt, wayward and wicked powers to their end. There are not only a few verses but long and detailed chapters (Surahs) of the Quran emphasizing the significance of Jehad. As the last and final Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, has told, Perpetuity of Jehad as an obligation is till the Day of Resurrection. Islamic Jehad, according to the Islamic point of view, is not for gaining domination over the lands and establishing authority there. It is for annihilating malignity, sedition and mischief and paving the way for spread of virtue and good.
“And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief. But Allah is full of bounty to the ‘Alamin’ (mankind, jinn and all that exists). (Al-Baqarah: 251)

The present position of the oppressed people of Palestinians, Kashmir and the Afghanistan is as we find depicted in the Quran:
“And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help.” (Al-Nisa: 75)

Actually at this juncture of the history we, the Muslims, need a bold political leadership, wise rulers having a keen sense of national honour and a courageous military power to protect the Muslim communities against any assault, may that be on moral and cultural values or on our geographical boundaries. Preventive measures for safety of national unity and integrity and overall interests of the Muslim countries is utmost duty of the rulers. But unfortunately the political and the military leadership, very cravenly shows a dastardly surrender to the insulting demands of America, the super power with its ferocious imperialistic nature. Either we have to cooperate with it in its destructive crusade against our own Muslim brethrens or be ready to face the consequences of not falling in with its evil designs. Most of the Muslims all over the world are killed either in its own crusades or under its patronage.

Thus it was natural that apart from the genuine fighting power to liberate the country from the invaders, in particular belts in Iraq and the tribal areas and religious circles in Pakistan a reactionary whim of feelings rose high and the people there took arms to resist the enemy raids. The military leadership, once already had put its steps on the slippery ground of the mischievous American desires, more yielding to their demands, deployed its armed forces and tried to quell the uprising of its own people against the American aggression in the tribal areas. It was the American war and not of ours but our political and military leadership very chicken-heartedly owned this war and started to defeat own people.

Watching the servitude of our military and rulers to the Americans, with no other resort to outwit their enemy, the militants started seeking help from ‘anywhere’ around them at ‘any cost’. ‘The friend of the foe is in fact a foe’ is an old and commonly accepted principle in the world. When Pakistani forces stood by the Americans to support them in their ‘War on Terror’ applying this principle some of the militant groups in our tribal areas very indignantly took arms against the Pakistani forces and started ravage activities targeting the military personals and installations. They might have got the ‘ charming offers’ only at the cost of hollowing in the stability of Pakistan, the only nuclear Muslim state, rankling in the minds of the enemies of the Muslim Ummah.

Many actors including Israeli and Indian intelligence agencies, MOSSAD, RAW entered the arena to manipulate the situation in their favour and settle their own accounts against Pakistan. CIA is notorious for its double games. So on one hand having Pakistan a ‘front line ally’ in its so-called ‘War on Terror’ and on the other it did not hesitate in harming the interests of this ally by caving in its geographical, cultural, economic and political existence. Most of the evil acts of suicide bombing and bomb blasts in the markets and public places causing a irreparable loss of lives and properties are assumed to be in accordance with the evil designs of the above mentioned secret agencies but done in the name of ‘Jehad’.

Being part of the evil intrigues against Pakistan, avaricious war lords and leaders of some ethnic and sectarian elements leading their own militant groups got trapped with huge amounts of cash and piles of weapons to destabilize this country. One of the satanic tricks has been to damage the sacredness of the term ‘Jehad’ so inaptly using this term by all such rogue elements the meaning of Jehad is now an immensely confused matter for simple natured Muslims. In the ambuscades of media there are the columnists, anchor persons, writers with their names in pay roll of their ‘masters’, and many of the foreign aided NGOs, very venomously and spitefully, out only to carry on a mischievous venture of propaganda against ‘Jehad’. Almost three decades before most of them were in the socialist camp supporting the Russian aggression against Afghanistan and now taking an about turn this venal element is providing full intellectual assistance to America, through its ignominious expressions against Jehad to thicken the state of confusion.