Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

340 • JIHADterrorist actions, to combat “un-Islamic” regimes or purported externalenemies of Islam, such as Israel and the United States.The classical doctrine of jihad did not necessarily exclude the useof armed force to spread the Islamic religion since the classical Muslimthinkers ibn Rushd and ibn Khaldun both accepted this interpretation.Most modern jurists, however, have preferred an interpretationof jihad comparable to that of purely defensive warfare. Islamicfundamentalists, such as Sayyid Qutb, other members of the MuslimBrotherhood, and members of the Munazzamat al Jihad groupthat murdered Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, have maintained thatthe object of jihad was the full enactment of the full Islamic code oflaws, rather than defense or conquest as such, and that there was noreason to limit the role of jihad merely to defensive warfare. Osamabin Laden and other leaders of al Qa’eda rationalize their terroristcampaigns as obedience to the duty of jihad to protect the Islamicnations from “Crusaders and Zionists.”The Muslim jurists make two other distinctions regarding jihadimportant to understanding its possible connection with terrorism.Ordinarily, jihad is a collective obligation, ‘ayn al kafiya, rather thana personal obligation, ‘ayn al fard. If a Muslim nation undertakesjihad lawfully, the duty of waging jihad is discharged by the Muslimarmy and its commander on behalf of the entire Muslim community.The conditions under which this form of jihad may be lawfully initiatedand exercised are remarkably similar to those governing theJudeo-Christian Just War doctrine: Jihad can be declared only bythe competent religious-cum-secular authorities. Recourse to jihadis permissible only after all other diplomatic channels for redress ofgrievances have been exhausted. During jihad, noncombatant enemycivilians may not be attacked, killed, or taken prisoner, nor may theMuslim army engage in random destruction of enemy property. Muslimsoldiers and officers must observe proportionality in their defensiveand retaliatory attacks. Such a definition of jihad quite rules outmost of what might be considered terrorist actions.On the contrary, when a Muslim land is invaded by non-Muslimforces, then jihad ceases to be a collective obligation, becominginstead the personal obligation of every Muslim in the occupied territory,whether man, woman, or child, old or young, infirm or well.Given the disproportionate force enjoyed by the invading army overthat possessed by the individual believer, upon whom waging jihad