쿠란 속 지하드의 역사적 변천과 활용

Concepts of Jihad in Quran and their Historial Changes and Utilization

Since the September 11 attacks and the later establishment of Islamic State (IS) in 2014, the word Jihad has become well known both in the Islamic and the non-Muslim world. Some politicians and media have used it to conjure up terrifying images of rabid Islamic fundamentalists. The word Jihad come from a religious context, and has a long history and has been used for a range of complex meanings. However, these days it tends to be translated “holy war” from its association with the medieval Crusades. Because of this, there is a continuous debate whether the usage of the term jihad without further explanation refers to military combat. Some apologists and western scholars insist that jihad is primarily nonviolent. On the other hand, some Islamic fundamentalists turn the confusion over the definition of the term to their advantage. In this article the author examines how the concept of Jihad was developed in the Quran and how each of the sub-groups of Islam history defines its meaning in their historical contexts. The author begins with the hypothesis that the common mistake made in the study of Islam by outsiders, as in the study of other religions, is to treat Islam as a unified religious system. The reality is that all Muslims are not same in their manner of thinking, believing, and living. In conclusion, the author suggests that we should not expect monolithic answers when we pose questions of Muslims. Instead, we should begin to ask what kind of world-view each particular Muslim person and community have. We will see that each group in Islam, including al-Qaeda and IS, has quite different perspectives on the meaning and practices of jihad.