Friday 11 January 2013

Can Muslims 'Reclaim' Jihad?

 
 
MyJihad is an organisation that is trying to change the public perception of the word jihad which has been distorted by extremists, both Muslim and anti-Muslim alike. It has taken out a number of bus adverts in Chicago.
 
As their website claims:
 
"Jihad means "struggling in the way of God". The way of God, being goodness, justice, passion, compassion, etc. It is putting up the good fight against whatever odds or barriers you face in your life. It is a central tenet of the Islamic creed that has unfortunately been widely misrepresented due to a) first and foremost, the actions of Muslim extremists, b) attempts at public indoctrination by Islamophobes who claim that the extremists are right and the rest of us are wrong, and c) a selective media that understandably focuses on the sensational."
 
They claim that the voices of moderate Muslims, living in the mainstream, are "either drowned out or diluted."
The MyJihad ads, feature young, attractive men and women with slogans such as "My Jihad is to build friendships across the aisle. What's yours?" and "My Jihad is to stay fit despite my busy schedule. What's yours?"

Here is a short video about the campaign:
 
 
Do you think think that MyJihad is a worthwhile campaign? Did you know what Jihad meant? Is Jihad misunderstood in the UK as well as in the US? Do you think the adverts will change peoples' perceptions? How do you think Muslims would feel about this?

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