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Interview

M.J. Akbar

M.J. Akbar is the editor of The Asian Age newspaper and author of a new book, The Shade of Swords, in which he seeks to clairify the meaning of ‘Jihad’. He recently talked with Philosophy Now.

Could you explain the concept of ‘Jihad’ What precisely is it and what is it not?

Let’s get one thing out of the way: terrorism is not Jihad. In fact there are very specific injunctions as explained in my book against any violence to innocents and to the old, women and children in particular. You cannot even do violence to trees during a Jihad, a clear refutation of any scorched earth tactics. It is said that the troops of Imameddin Zengi, the Sultan who began to reverse the Crusader tide and was widely admired for his Jihad, walked in such a straight defile through fields that not an inch of crop was damaged.

What is Jihad? Perhaps the opening sentences of the book begin to define this concept: The Shade of Swords is not an invitation to kill.

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