What is the correct meaning of jihad?

The Republican nominee for the US presidential elections, Donald Trump has used the word jihad to justify his call for Muslims to be 'extreme vetted' before entering the US. The word jihad in Arabic has also been twisted by terrorist organizations to mean a holy war. According to experts in Arabic, jihad is simply a struggle or striving to better oneself.

A Sunni Muslim man after an attack in Lahore. Source: Getty Images

O le 'upu Arapi 'jihad',o loo faauiga sese e le toatele o se valaau mo tagata Moselemi e auai i taua ma faiga terorisi.

 

O le 'upu Jihad e faauigaina i le gagana Peretania o se struggle poo le veape to strive.

 

A faa-Samoa, o le galue ma le faamalosi, poo le taumafai i le mea e gata ai ina ia 'ausia se faamoemoe...

 

E fai mai nisi o se valaau mo se taua pa'ia mo le talitonuga Islama.

 

E pei ona faaoga sese e Donald Trump, na ia faaogaina ai le upu jihad e faavae ai lana mau e taofia le toe ulufale atu o tagata Moselemi i Amerika.

 

TRUMP

"Most recently a poll from Center for Security Policy (CSP) released data showing 25 per cent of those polled agreed that violence against Americans, here in the United States is justified as part, think of that, as part of the global jihad."

 

Na saunoa Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp, le faatonu o le Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation i le Iunivesite Charles Sturt University, o le 'upu jihad i le talitonuga Islama ma le gagana Arapi e le uiga. O se 'upu taua ona e faatatau i le faamalosi mo se faai'uga manuia....

 

OZALP

"From an Islamic perspective, the word Jihad means to have a personal struggle to achieve a positive outcome."