I thought I would share this with you because I know that many Americans are confused about this and understandably considering the jargon that was used to explain the 9-11 attacks. And looking in the Webster dictionary or even on the internet can be confusing. I found this definition in a book called The Afghan. What I like about this one is that it explains everything very well. It states that Jihad is either a personal struggle within oneself to become a better Muslim (this is what most Muslims think of) or it means true holy war, armed struggle in the defence of Islam. But, this second part has very specific rules. True Jihad can only be declared by a legitimate Koranic authority. Osama Bin Laden is notorious for his lack of scholarship in this area and has never been considered an authority on the Koran. Saudi has even revoked his citizenship in 1994. Also, it is forbidden to attack and kill those who have done nothing to hurt you. It is forbidden to kill women and children. It is forbidden to take hostages, or to mistreat, torture, or kill prisoners. Another thing that my friends have told me is that hurting another Muslim hurts their chances of getting into heaven, even if it's indirect. For example, the swing on the playground was broken and my friend was very concerned about the kids. So, she pleaded with the compound supervisor by saying that another Muslim might get hurt. AQ has killed more Muslims than Christians or Jews. My Muslim friends compare Osama to Jim Jones. His group takes children who have been orphaned or people who are truly lost and angry and homeless in Palestine and convince them that they are able to take control and do something great with their life by dying in the name of Allah.

     Before I came here, I felt that Muslims were good people, but that Mohammed must have been a bad leader and very violent. I haven't completely changed my mind about this because I haven't done enough research. But, I have been convinced that he was a very intelligent man and a lot of his teachings were good. For example, at the time, people only wanted sons and were burying baby girls alive. Mohammed told them that daughters can carry them up to heaven when they die. He also encouraged people to take care of their neighbors and told them that drinking alcohol would ruin their liver (And this was way before any medical research was conducted.)

     I just want to keep my friends updated on what I am learning about this culture. It is fascinating to me. I am looking forward to finding out more in the next week. I know it will be interesting.