TJP

By Aurora Ellis - January 27, 2010

On December the 9th of last semester while most Howard students were finishing their classes and finals for the Fall it was revealed to the press that five young American men were arrested in Pakistan for suspicions of  “links to terrorism.” Among those five was Ramy Zamzam, a Howard University dental student.
 
 The group of young men are described as from the Washington-Virginia area and are of Egyptian, Pakistani, and Ethiopian descent. Reports describe the individuals as being held for long hours for interrogation by the FBI and Pakistani authorities in a high security prison in Sargodha, Pakistan.
 
 In their defense Zamzam told the Associated Press in court that “We are not terrorists. We are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism." This is an unusual statement to hear in the news because the American media often translates the Islamic concept of jihad as a “holy war” and closely associates it with terrorism. Zamzam’s embrace of the term “jihadist” has been viewed by many in media and seemingly the law enforcement to be tantamount to a confession or at least grounds for an indictment. However, this common definition of jihad portrayed by the media may not convey its entire meaning.
 
 Dr. Mervat Hatem, a political science professor and former President of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), says that “The concept of jihad as it is used in the context of the war in terror is identified largely with the use of violence to change things, or to defend the community, or to change things that you do not like about our communities and our politics. Throughout Islamic history this was not really the dominant concept in fact this is seen as the minor jihad.”
 
 Hatem explains that in the Arabic language  “Jihad simply means “struggle” it doesn’t really mean the use of violence.” She describes that “In Islam and Islamic history and tradition there are two types of struggle that one might be involved in. The big jihad is the one in which you struggle with yourself to become a better person and this is seen to be the most difficult jihad.”
 
 Thus jihad also has components of non-violent struggle, a factor which is often not emphasized in current discussions about jihad. Hatem also places significance on the way each generation defines jihad, she notes that although the generation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri may have defined it as a “holy war” this may not be true for younger generations of Muslims. “The assumption is that they are some how following in the footsteps of the older generations but why is that necessarily true?” she asks.
 
 Some Howard students also remain skeptical about the way mainstream American media sources portray jihad and Islam. Abdul Deensie, a senior political science major, is convinced that the American media presents the concept of jihad only in one light. For Deensie, the American media often “think[s] that the word jihad mobilizes Muslims, especially young Muslim men. They think that if Muslims have that unified force it will very counterproductive to their aims so that is why they are very fearful of the word jihad.”
 
 Jason Scruggs, a senior political science major, stresses that although there is many misconceptions around the word much of it is due to extremists and terrorists who misinterpret the Qur’an and use this to justify their actions. “I find that many people are simply ignorant about Islam so the tendency is to incline toward what little information is available. There are radicals who claim to fight a holy war but in reality they are transgressing the rights of mankind. I think more Muslims need to speak out and clarify what is and is not Islam” he says.
 
Scruggs insists it is important that university students seek to go beyond what the American media puts forward on the subject without investigating for themselves. “We [as Americans] do have a narrow conception about Jihad” he says “but, in my humble opinion, we have an even narrower conception about what Islam is as a whole.”
 
Zamzam’s statement challenges the notion that Jihad is merely equivalent to “holy war” or “terrorism.” However, the definition of Jihad to him and his other American companions is yet to be revealed.
 
 The case against Zamzam and the four other Americans is pending in Pakistani courts until the 2nd of February, where the courts will decide whether or not to pursue a trial based on the charges filed by the Pakistani police.

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