Jihad vs. Crusade

When someone from the Middle East hears a Christian talking about a "crusade" against something, the Middle Easterner gets all offended because he or she thinks it is about destroying Islam. That's incorrect.

When someone from the West hears the word "jihad" thrown around by al-Qaeda or Yasser Arafat, the Westerner thinks "terrorism" and "anti-Christian" and "9/11." The Afghans declared jihad against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979; Iran and Iraq declared jihad on one another after Saddam's troops invaded Iran; Iran also declared jihad on the United States; the Palestinians declared jihad against Israel (and so have all of Israel's neighbors at one point or another), and Osama bin-Laden declared jihad on the United States. This interpretation is not entirely correct either.

Here are some dictionary terms:

Crusade--1) Any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. 2) A holy war undertaken with papal sanction. 3) A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or against an abuse.

Jihad--1) A Muslim holy war or spiritual struggle against infidels. 2) Crusade or struggle for a cause against an abuse.

Muslims: When a Christian talks about launching a crusade against injustice, it's definition #3.

Christians: When a Muslim is talking about jihad against poverty, it's actions taken to combat the causes of poverty and a great deal of prayer.

Now, when either term is used against another country or group of people, then people have good reason to be nervous. Both sides would be trying to destroy one another. If Bush had spoken of a Crusade against the Iraqi people, I'm sure we would have had entire Arab armies from neighboring Arab countries fighting alongside the Republican Guard and the Fedayeen Saddam against the U.S. Army and Marines. The portion of the Navy in the Persian Gulf would find air attacks coming in from every direction and the Air Force would have to fly their missions in from halfway around the world.

Likewise, if any Arab nations had declared jihad against the United States on 9/11 or shortly thereafter, we would OWN those countries. There would be no talk of rebuilding or friendship. Libya, Syria and Saudi Arabia would belong to us now.

See how nasty words can be?

If I launch a holy war against poverty, which definition would fit better? Crusade or jihad? In this case, it's the same definition, so both words would be equally valid.

I wish people wouldn't freak out when someone uses the term that they're more uncomfortable with.