Come on in and grab a seat! WELCOME TO: MECA - (Middle East Current Affairs) The fundamentals of Fundamentalism Come on in and grab a seat! Text By Ivy Chi & Joel Mitchell Thursday, Nov. 21st 6-7pm in Founders

Jihad: to strive in the path of God al-jihad fi sabil Allah: “to strive in the path of God”

Quran and Conquest

Greater vs Lesser Spiritual vs Physical We were told by Layth, on the authority of 'Ata', on the authority of Abu Rabah, on the authority of Jabir, who said, 'The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhee wa sallam) returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad - the striving of a servant (of Allah) against his desires. - Hadith (11th Century)

Jihad Triangles “Jihad of the Sword” Suicide Attacks Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 1983-2009 Baruch Goldstein 94’ Suicide Attacks Islamic Jihad in Palestine Al Osama Bin Laden ( Al Qaeda)

It would be naive to assume that a call is raised to free the whole of humankind throughout the earth, and it is confined to preaching and exposition. Indeed, it strives through preaching and exposition when there is freedom of communication and when people are free from all these influences, as “There is not compulsion in religion”; but when the above obstacles and practical duties are put in its way, it has no recourse but to remove them by force so that when it is addressed to people’s hearts and minds they are free to accept or reject it with an open mind - Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966)

Terrorism: Disease or Symptom?

1st intifada vs 2nd Intifada and The Between 2000 - 2005

Questions: 1.) What have your own contexts taught you about Islam/Jihad? 2.) What similarities and differences do you see between Jihad in the Quran and YAWEH commanding the use of violence against other nations? 3.) How would you distinguish between and “Jihad of the sword” and a purely secular war? 4.) Is Islam a religion of peace, as Muslim moderates say, or is it a religion prone to violence and holy war, as statements by radical groups suggest? 5.) How would you respond to this statement?: “We need to recognize that violence is an integral part of Islamic scripture and tradition, and that this is the fundamental problem for Muslims. The heart of the problem over terrorism has to do with Islamic theology more than political issues.”