Jihad is holy war as a religious duty for Muslims. In our time some use the word in a moral rather than a military sense. In Muslim law, where it gets a whole chapter, it is always used in a military sense.
A jihad is a war either against infidels (those who do not believe in Islam) or against apostates (Muslims who have fallen away from the true faith). Only rulers can call a jihad.
Those who fall in battle in a jihad go straight to paradise. They are called martyrs or shahids.
Jihad has certain rules. Among others:
- Women and children are not to be killed unless they attack first.
- Those not fighting in the war should be treated well.
- Rulers must honour agreements they make – jihad does not allow them to break their word.
- Enemies must be told that war is coming.
On the other hand, jihad is winner takes all: the winner has rights over the property and persons conquered.
The conquered are treated differently according to their religion:
- People of the book: these include Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and Mandeans – those who follow a revealed religion. They can either convert, pay a tax or die.
- Kafirs: those who worship gods, idols or spirits. They can either convert, become a slave or die.
So, for example, jihad does not justify 9/11: it killed thousands of unarmed men, women and children, some of them even Muslims. It was not called by any recognized ruler, it was hardly an attempt to extend Islam to America. It was merely a low, cowardly act. Thus the hijackers did not go to paradise but where they belong.
For the same reason it does not justify those who blow themselves up at bus stops since, again, they wind up killing old men, women and children.
In theory, jihad is unending until all the world falls under Muslim rule. In history, however, jihad does not go on all the time: only when and where it makes political and military sense to Muslim rulers.
In our time, the greatest jihad by far has been in the south of Sudan where countless Christians and others have died or been sold as slaves.
The most famous jihad of our time, however, is the one Osama bin Laden has declared against America. Not being a ruler or even a religious authority, his ability to do this is highly questionable. That has not stopped thousands from gathering to his black flag.
Sometimes jihad is between Muslims. For example, the Arabs under the Saudis fought a jihad against Turkish rule: the Turks were not Wahhabis like the Saudis, so the Saudis did not see them as true Muslims.
Christians have fought holy wars for their faith too. But unlike jihads, their aims were limited and falling in battle did not mean you would go to heaven. Popes and bishops have promised that only on occasion. It is not general doctrine as it is in Islam.
See also:
Abagond 
Any form of religious based war, being it philosophical or practical, is wrong. Period. There is nothing good in war. Sometimes it just becomes unavoidable but in general, war is always terrible and totally wrong. No religious paint job can do it more justified.
As for the “struggle”. That is a cacth word used a lot now a days by muslim missionaries. It is the same as “islam guarantees the womens rights”. Not true. Jihad is bascially a religious war against the enemies of faith in one form or another.
As for the womens rights, read the Koran. Women have no self dependence. They have no free will. They can choose their own friends, if their husband/father aproves those friends. In Koran it is also said that if woman disobeys her husband, she can be hit. BUT once sshe is obidient again, the hitting must be stopped.
Read Koran, get to know it. There are good translations, although musilm mission brings out new ones in which the wordings are changed into more politically correct form. But once you’ve read that book, you can not be a feminist and a muslim, because these two contradict each other. Just like the present pope said back in 1960’s when he was the head of Holy Congregation of christian tehology in Vatican (former inquisition): feminism is a religion which is opposing the christianity.
I must admit that I am also very critical towards christianity and its history too, so this is not some islam/muslim bashing. I am a free thinker myself and a heathen, or pagan, on my faith. That is I do believe in God and spirit world, but not the religions or their books and explanations. BUT I don’t either practice wicca, new age, or none of those healing crystals mumbo jumbos. They seem a bit childish to me, just like religions in general.
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It brings to mind a book I got from Amazon Kindle called ‘How to win a Cosmic War’ by Reza Aslam. Really fascinating, it talks about how all people who believe in war as a means to eradicate “evil” (what he calls cosmic wars) are the ones who perpetuate war. The only way to really win a war is to not fight it.
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