JIHAD AS A SOURCE OF TERRORISM A REALITY OR PROPAGANDA

Throughout the ages, Islam has been misunderstood and surrounded by a number of false allegations. One of these allegations, given contemporary form, is to associate jihad with terrorism and violence and to claim that the message of Islam was spread through the sword. It is therefore an imperative upon objective researchers to examine and scrutinize this allegation based on the true nature and the real teaching of Islam. This research also examines different views regarding the concept of jihad, and how this concept has been misunderstood. This paper demonstrates the similarities between religions in supporting peace and condemning terror. Furthermore, this research explains that jihad bears a broad concept; it revealed positive meaning and was the motive for achieving noble ends and objectives. It is well known that jihad has never been used as a 'holy war' in the text of the Shari'ah. Jihad must be undertaken purely in the path of God alone and not for power or other worldly ends.