-Marc- > jihad has traditionally, in Sunni Islam, meant the kind of > struggle that we all must undergo in order to purify ourselves > in order to make ourselves fit to be in God's presence after > death. The Taliban have given the term a bad name).
-Stephen- > Not so. That is, the term "jihad" has usually (not always) been > interpreted by most of the Islamic schools as meaning an internal > purification struggle, but throughout Islamic history, many > Muslims of the Sunni, Shi'ite, and other fringe Islamic sects > have used the term to refer to the struggle against infidels, > mostly Christians and Jews. So "the Taliban" certainly have not > given the term "jihad" any bad name that it hasn't already had > for a dozen centuries. -Marc- > "Many" is not "most" any more than "many" crusades have not been > "most" crusades. I didn't say that "most" Muslims want to blast Americans, if that's what you're suggesting (though that might be the case). My point was simple and, I thought, fairly clear: The term "jihad" had a bad reputation since long before the Taliban even existed, so they (the Taliban) certainly haven't "given the term [jihad] a bad name". In the non-Muslim west, the term has always had the unpleasant connotation of fanatical, murderous zealots. Stephen ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
