What is the truth of the matter?

Submitted by Mark Tyler (United States), Jun 6, 2002 at 10:01

After reading the Nightline transcript, I was not struck by the fact that Dr. Hathout would deny that the common meaning of jihad involves political or military struggle, but what did strike me is that Dr. Pipes seemed to imply that the personal definition of struggle so often put forward by Muslims had no validity.

The book I'm currently reading by Huston Smith, "Islam, A Concise Introduction" would seem to indicate that both are true, although it seems disingenuous of Muslims to deny its context in history as the primary meaning.

What is the truth of the matter?

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