The image of Islam and specially the meaning of Jihad have been distorted by two sides. The first is Islam enemies, but the second are the groups of Muslim extremists who give their actions a false Islamic guise.  

Distortion of jihad

In recent times, the image of jihad has been totally distorted, and the distortion is the work of two different sources. The first is from those who hate Islam. who associate jihad with terrorism and make Islam synonymous with terrorism. They consider every young Muslim man a potential terrorist, even though he may be the most peaceful of people. One only needs to review the output of the Western media, and the media of tyrannical governments in Muslim countries, to realize the extent of the sustained efforts of the media in both worlds to distort the image of Islam generally, and jihad in particular.

The other source has repeatedly become associated with Islam. Different groups commit actions that illustrate their sparse knowledge of Islam and their shallow understanding of its teachings, but they announce that they act in defence of Islam. They allege that by their actions they are defending Islam and serving its cause. All scholars of Islam and the masses oppose their methods, ideology and ways and publicly denounce their terrorist attacks and declare that such acts don’t relate to Islam.

In reaction to all this injustice, calls were made to return to Islam, but some of these calls were merely emotional, knowing little of the true meaning of Islam and giving rise to the extremist groups that commit actions that Islam does not condone. They give their actions a false Islamic guise and the net result is that the actions of these extremist Islamic groups play into the hands of the enemies of Islam, rather than serve Islam.