March 14, 2003

This week, fueled by fears of a pending U.S. invasion of Iraq, Islamic scholars at Cairo’s Al Azhar University, issued a statement urging a jihad in the event of an attack, calling upon “Arabs and Muslims throughout the world to be ready to defend themselves and their faith.” While commonly translated as “holy war,” jihad has a far broader meaning in Islamic law — it can either serve as a call to arms or as a way to invoke a more inward spiritual quest. Bob Abernethy talks with a Muslim scholar (to be announced)

about the meaning and impact of the statement and what effect it could have on future U.S relations with the Muslim world.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week628/perspectives.html