While delegates listen to a speaker at Wednesday’s forum, the message of peace in Muslim societies is written large

Scholars united under the umbrella of a peace forum to discuss the concept of jihad – something that has caused chaos in the Muslim world.

In a workshop as part of the Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies forum in the capital on Wednesday, scholars agreed jihad has many categories and the word itself has various meanings.

They stressed that most jihadists do not understand the context behind the revelation of verses related to jihad.

“One of the meanings of jihad is the daily life struggle. The main jihad is ‘lust or desire’, if one is able to overcome temptation, this is how jihad starts. This kind of jihad implies learning the Islamic religion and working by it,” said Dr Mounir Tlili, former minister of religious affairs of Tunisia.

The mention of jihad in the Quran was referring to the spread of the religion, he said.

“True jihad is developing one’s country through education, culture and infrastructure. A nation’s obligation is to spread knowledge, to raise the youth, create factories, and raise the level of production,” he added. Read More