W H Y J I H A D W A T C H ?

Because non-Muslims in the West, as well as in India, China, Russia, and

the world over, are facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by
the Western media, to destroy their societies and bring them forcibly into the Islamic world -- and to commit
violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of
jihad.Jihad (Arabic for "struggle") is a central duty of every Muslim. Modern Muslim theologians have spoken of many
things as jihads: the struggle within the soul, defending the faith from critics, supporting its growth and defense
financially, even migrating to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of spreading Islam. But violent jihad is a constant
of Islamic history. Many passages of the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad are used by jihad
warriors today to justify their actions and gain new recruits. No major Muslim group has ever repudiated the doctrines
of armed jihad. The theology of jihad, which denies unbelievers equality of human rights and dignity, is available today
for anyone with the will and means to bring it to life.Jihad Watch is dedicated to bringing public attention to the role
that jihad theology and ideology plays in the modern world, and to correcting popular misconceptions about the
role of jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts. We hope to alert people of good will to the true nature of the
present global conflict.JIHAD IS A CENTRAL DUTY of every Muslim. Modern Muslim theologians have spoken of
many things as jihads: the struggle within the soul, defending the faith from critics, supporting its growth and defense
financially, even migrating to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of spreading Islam. But in Islamic history and doctrine
violent jihad is founded on numerous verses of the Qur'an -- most notably, one known in Islamic theology as the " Verse
of the Sword": "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take
them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and
pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful" (Sura 9:5). Establishing "regular
worship" and paying the "poor-due" (zakat) means essentially that they will become Muslim, as these are two of the
central responsibilities of every Muslim. Sahih Bukhari, which Muslims regard as the most trustworthy of all the many
collections of traditions of Muhammad, records this statement of the Prophet: "Allah assigns for a person who participates
in (holy battles) in Allah's Cause and nothing causes him to do so except belief in Allah and in His Messengers, that he
will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed
in the battle as a martyr)."Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), a pioneering historian and philosopher, was also a legal theorist. In
his renowned Muqaddimah, the first work of historical theory, he notes that "in the Muslim community, the holy war is a
religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam
either by persuasion or by force." In Islam, the person in charge of religious affairs is concerned with "power politics,"
because Islam is "under obligation to gain power over other nations."Violent jihad is a constant of Islamic history. The
passages quoted above and many others like them form a major element of the motivation of jihad warriors worldwide
today. No major Muslim group has ever repudiated the doctrines of armed jihad. The theology of jihad, with all its
assumptions about unbelievers‚ lack of human rights and dignity, is available today as a justification for anyone with the
will and the means to bring it to life.Jihad Watch is dedicated to bringing public attention to the role that jihad theology
and ideology play in the modern world and to correcting popular misconceptions about the role of jihad and religion in
modern-day conflicts. By shedding as much light as possible on these matters, we hope to alert people of good will to
the true nature of the present global conflict.Jihad Watch also includes Dhimmi Watch, formerly a separate page
on this site, tracking dhimmitude. Dhimmitude is the status that Islamic law, the Sharia, mandates for non-
Muslims, primarily Jews and Christians. Dhimmis, "protected people," are free to practice their religion in a
Sharia regime, but are made subject to a number of humiliating regulations designed to enforce the Qur'an's
command that they "feel themselves subdued" (Sura 9:29). This denial of equality of rights and dignity remains
part of the Sharia, and, as such, are part of the legal superstructure that global jihadists are laboring to restore
everywhere in the Islamic world, and wish ultimately to impose on the entire human race.If dhimmis complained
about their inferior status, institutionalized humiliation, or poverty, their masters voided their contract and
regarded them as enemies of Islam, fair game as objects of violence. Consequently, dhimmis were generally cowed
into silence and worse. It was almost unheard-of to find dhimmis speaking out against their oppressors; to do so would
have been suicide. For centuries dhimmi communities in the Islamic world learned to live in peace with their Muslim
overlords by acquiescing to their subservience. Some even actively identified with the dominant class, and became
strenuous advocates for it.Spearheaded by dhimmi academics and self-serving advocacy groups, that same attitude of
chastened subservience has entered into Western academic study of Islam, and from there into journalism, school
textbooks, and the popular discourse. One must not point out the depredations of jihad and dhimmitude; to do so would
offend the multiculturalist ethos that prevails everywhere today. To do so would endanger chances for peace and
rapprochement between civilizations all too ready to clash.But in this era of global terrorism it must be said: this silence,
this distortion, has become deadly. Before 9/11 it was easy to ignore and whitewash dhimmitude, but the atrocities
changed the situation forever. In jihads throughout history, untold millions have died. Tens of millions have been
uprooted from their homes. Tens of millions have been stripped of their cultural identity. To continue to gloss over the
destruction wrought by jihad ideology and its attendant evil of dhimmitude is today to play into the hands of jihadists,
who have repeatedly vowed to dhimmify the West and destroy any recalcitrant elements. While jihadist groups, even with
their global diffusion, are not strong enough to realize this goal by themselves, they have a potent and destructive ally, a
genuine fifth column, in the dhimmi academics and dhimmi journalists they have recruited in the West. They have
succeeded in confusing millions in the West into mistaking honesty and truthfulness for bigotry, and self-defense for
oppression.Before it's too late for Western Europe and the United States, which gave birth to the traditions of
freedom and equality of rights for all that shine today as lights in the entire world, this must be stopped. Therefore
Jihad Watch seeks to bring public attention to:The plight of the dhimmis, an immense but almost completely ignored
ongoing scandal that continues in Muslim countries today; The plight of women under Sharia provisions, similar to
conditions imposed on dhimmis, in the denial of equal rights and dignity; Slavery in Islamic lands, which continues today,
justified by Sharia-'s dhimmi codes; The integral role of jihad and dhimmitude ideology in global terrorism oday; The
license that academic and journalistic whitewashes of dhimmitude gives to radical jihadist enemies of human rights for
all.Jihad Watch fights to ensure that deeds done in the darkness for so long will not continue to be done. The light of
world attention is anathema to the proponents of jihad and dhimmitude: we have seen in recent years that women
sentenced to stoning for adultery, often victims of rape unjustly accused thanks to Sharia laws disallowing rape victims'
testimony, were freed following international outcry. Jihad Watch seeks to provoke similar, continuous and increasing
outcry wherever and whenever the Sharia's institutionalized injustices threaten dhimmis and women.May the truth prevail.