A Harvard student has been invited to give a controversial graduation address about “Jihad” (although he has since been pressured to change the name of the talk to remove the potentially offensive word.) Questions for discussion:
– What does this word mean?
– How offenisve is it?
– Should it be avoided?
– Is it more offensive than the word, “Crusade”
– Is it a double standard to invite the use of the word, “Jihad”?
Here are some opinions from ABC News Nightline June 4, 2002
Chris Bury: * “…this young man at Harvard, is giving a speech in which he says, look, the definition of “jihad” has been, essentially, corrupted by militant Islamists, and that doesn’t have much to do with moderates like me. What’s wrong with him saying that at Harvard?”*
Daniel Pipes: “What’s wrong, Chris, is that it’s a fabrication. Jihad has historically meant, almost always one thing-which is expanding the territories ruled by Muslims through armed warfare. That’s what it’s meant. Now I’m happy to see a development occur whereby it means something more spiritual. But we have to start by acknowledging that that’s the real meaning of the word, the historic meaning of the word, the traditional meaning of the word, and we can’t ignore it.”
Dr. MAHER HATHOUT (Muslim Public Affairs Council): “…it is up to the Muslims according to their text and according to the language of their text to put their definitions. And it is unfair that every time someone wants to broaden the definition to project the right perspective-the broad perspective, jihad, somebody jumps and says, ‘Don’t believe him. This is not what he means. He’s lying, basically.’ This is wrong. The second thing is the issue of what that person is going to say or not going to say. This is censorship in the greatest institution of intellectuality, which I think is a very degrading situation.”
Others weigh in:
Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit): *"What’s funny is that all the people who were after Bush for using the word ‘crusade’ seem to think that it’s simplistic to criticize the use of the word ‘jihad’ In truth, the peaceful meaning of ‘crusade’ is more well-established.
And I know other people have already noted this, but what if we had a fundamentalist Christian speaking at a Harvard commencement on the importance of the ‘crusade’ concept? You know, like someone from ‘Campus Crusade for Christ.’ Well, forget the ‘what if.’ It’s basically unimaginable."*
Akiba A. Cohen (N Y Times letter):* "…today we received another concrete example of the most profound meaning of “jihad.”
The Islamic Jihad terror group took responsibility for the suicide bombing of a bus in Israel that claimed the lives of “infidels.” Not only Islamic and not only jihad, but Islamic Jihad!
I urge the graduates, the faculty and their guests at Harvard to pause for a moment of silence and think about this absurd blend of academic rhetoric and gruesome reality."*