By Kamala
January 11, 2013

CAIR's Ahmed Rehab describes their #MyJihad ads this way: "The campaign is about reclaiming Islam, and not just ‘jihad,’ from both Muslim and non-Muslim extremists... Whether it’s the bin Ladens and the al-Qaidas of the Muslim world, or the Pam Gellers and Frank Gaffneys of the non-Muslim world, ironically — even though they come from the two opposite ends of the spectrum — they agree exactly on the same definition of ‘jihad’ and on the same worldview of Islam versus the rest of the world.”

CAIR would have you believe that "extremists" like bin Laden and al-Qaeda are the only Muslims that think Jihad means anything other than to "build friendships across the aisle," to "not judge people by their cover," or to "stay fit despite [a] busy schedule."

But if that's the case, then extremists like al-Qaeda must be running the San Francisco Bay Area Muslim Community Association, the Islamic Circle of North America in New Jersey, the Muslim and Islamic Center in Willowbrook, Iillinois, and the Dar Elsalam Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas.


All of these American Muslim organizations teach and/or promote a book on Islam called Minhaj al-Muslim. This book offers a simple definition of Jihad that has little to do with fitness or friendships:

"The specific ruling of Jihad – which is fighting against the disbelievers and those who wage war against Islam – is that it is a collective compulsory duty." (Vol. 2, p. 165)

This book is sold by the MCA bookstore, among a small number of "authentic" books about Islam. It's also sold by the bookstore of the New Jersey chapter of the Islamic Circle of North America.

On YouTube, you can find multiple video lectures of this book, taught at the Dar ElSalam Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas. It's also taught in a weekly college student "Halaqa" (religious gathering for learning) in Willowbrook, Illinois.



For more detail about Minhaj al-Muslim's take on Jihad, here's an excerpt from a previous article analyzing Minhaj's perspective on Jihad and Islamic positions on other subjects such as homosexuality, apostasy, and women's rights:

Four types of jihad are listed. The first: "Performing Jihad against disbelievers and those who wage war against the Muslims." Number two is jihad against "rebellious sinners," and number three is jihad against "Satan." Only the fourth type is "Jihad against one's self." While Minhaj acknowledges that this type "has even been called the greatest Jihad," this claim is accompanied by a footnote pointing out that "this is based on a weak Hadith [saying by or about Muhammad]..." (Vol. 2, p. 167)

In his fascinating book, Inside Jihad, former Egyptian Islamic Jihad member Tawfik Hamid explains the significance of this specific attribution:

Abu Bakr Al-Jazairy – a lecturer in the Nobel Prophetic Mosque in Saudi Arabia – wrote in his well-known, widely-distributed book, Minhaj Al-Muslim, that this hadith "...is based upon a weak Hadith..." As we can see, on the one hand Islamists show non-Muslims a peaceful Hadith to improve Islam's image, and on the other teach Muslims, that it is weak (and by implication, that Muslims should not follow it). In contrast, Islamists teach Muslims that the following hadith is sahih, or "strong,"accurate" and "authentic," and thus cannot be ignored:

I have been commanded to fight all mankind until they testify that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah... (Agreed upon) – Minhaj Al-Muslim, Vol 1, p. 402

The phrase "agreed upon" at the end of the above hadith means that it is narrated as sahih by both Al-Buchary and Muslim, which communicates to Muslims that it is extremely powerful... In this case, Muslims are taught that the violent hadith is strong and the peaceful hadith is weak. This theological tactic deceives countless non-Muslims. (pp. 106-107)

Feisal Abdul-Rauf, of Ground Zero Mosque infamy, explains in his 2000 book, Islam: A Sacred Law, that a weak hadith "is a hadith against which serious doubts can be raised." (p. 151) Thus, the notion that self-Jihad is the "greatest Jihad" – a view Islamic spokesmen are always quick to espouse – is a dubious one.

If Ahmed Rehab and Zahra Billoo of CAIR are so worried about reclaiming the meaning of Jihad in America, shouldn't they start by focusing their energy and money on the American Muslim organizations teaching their followers that Jihad does indeed mean fighting against disbelievers? Or by rooting out the Muslim "extremists" leading Islamic organizations and centers across the country?

It's telling when they'd much rather focus on demonizing the non-Muslims pointing all of this out.