Jihad

After taking a break to rest, relax and recuperate, everyone’s favorite scare word is back in the headlines again. Linda Sarsour, the 37-year Palestinian-American activist and co-chair of the Women’s March, drew ire from conservatives and liberals alike after using the word “jihad” in a speech at the Islamic Society of North America convention to describe resistance to Donald Trump. Sweaty, bug-eyed reactions followed: this terrorist had called for violence against an elected leader, this Muslim was calling for the overthrow of the United States! She wanted to fly a plane into the White House, probably! Usually, when a Muslim is targeted by the right-wing smear machine, liberals step in to defend her, but their silence in the Sarsour case spoke volumes. Perhaps it is because of her activism on behalf of Palestine — a cause distasteful to American liberals, who prefer to turn a blind eye — but I think mostly it is just the power of the word “jihad.” There was a sense that Sarsour had crossed a line. The word is indefensible.
Of course, this is all based on a third-grader’s understanding of the word “jihad.” In the aftermath of September 11th, “jihad” meant “holy war against the Western infidels,” at least according to the media and popular conception; Muslims who pushed back against this definition were viewed with suspicion at best, accused of terrorist sympathies at worst. It was an ugly time in our history and one we still have not reckoned with. “Jihad” is an important concept to Muslims, and as Muslims are an important part of the fabric of the United States, it behooves us to understand what they mean by it.
“Jihad” translates literally as “struggling.” Its connotation is an uplifting, noble struggle, a striving for improvement. Getting the lid off a pickle jar may be a struggle but it is not a jihad. An armed struggle can be a jihad, but that is not its primary meaning. In fact, it is recorded that when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) returned from the battlefield, he said “this day we have returned from the minor jihad to the major jihad,” indicating that military struggle is less important than the struggle to build a just and righteous community.
Sarsour’s words made it clear what she meant. She discussed an episode from scripture where a man asked the Prophet “what is the best form of jihad, or struggle?”
Sarsour noted, “Our beloved prophet … said to him, ‘A word of truth in front of a tyrant ruler or leader, that is the best form of jihad.”
“I hope that … when we stand up to those who oppress our communities, that Allah accepts from us that as a form of jihad, that we are struggling against tyrants and rulers not only abroad in the Middle East or on the other side of the world, but here in these United States of America, where you have fascists and white supremacists and Islamophobes reigning in the White House.”
This is about as far as you can get from a call to violence. Of course, that didn’t stop the pearl-clutching right from labeling her a terrorist. They screeched that Sarsour, who is committed to nonviolent resistance, was trying to get the President assassinated. As patently ludicrous as this claim is, you’d expect the Democrats to have her back: they proudly tout their defense of immigrants and Muslims against the xenophobic Right. That hasn’t really happened much. Instead, prominent liberals have been silent, leaving her out to dry. Perhaps this is because of Sarsour’s early support of Bernie Sanders, or her backing of the BDS movement to peacefully pressure Israel. Accusations of anti-Semitism may have scared off liberal Jews, even though such accusations are completely specious; after the anti-semitic vandalization spree in February 2017, Sarsour helped raise more than $125,000 to repair vandalism at Jewish cemeteries and other Jewish sites around the nation.
This is a reminder that perhaps American liberals could benefit from a deeper understanding of jihad. They frame their resistance to Trump in heroic terms, as a struggle against an unjustly emplaced con man who has stolen their country. What is this if not a jihad? Life is a struggle, and every day is an opportunity to do your best. This is what we should be taking away from the latest Sarsour controversy. We all have the opportunity to strive for our goals, and to do so is ennobling. Sometimes we fall short, but we should learn humility and try to do better. Sarsour deserves our support. Her struggle is our struggle.
