The Islamic ideology has thus far been shown to be an ideology revealed by Allah, the Creator. It offers the only correct, comprehensive, and viable way of life for the human being, providing him with a sound purpose, a clear vision, and a stable life. It manifests itself in the personalities of its followers and in the form of a system implemented by a State. It is a universal ideology meant to liberate all of mankind. Consequently, one cannot accept for this ideology to be confined to a specific people or land; rather, it has to be offered to all of mankind. In order to deliver this ideology to the rest of the humanity, the State that adopts this ideology shoulders the responsibility of carrying it to new lands. As would be expected, this goal will lead to a conflict with other states and their ideologies. This conflict has to be resolved either through diplomacy or through force.

Every ideology utilizes these alternatives. All leading nations use diplomacy and force. George Bush, in his remarks to West Point cadets said, “At times, real leadership requires a willingness to use military force. And force can be a useful backdrop to diplomacy, a complement to it - or, if need be, a temporary alternative.” During the Gulf Crisis, Collin Powell said, “If the Unites Sates wants to propagate its values, freedom, and influence in the international affair, then in the future, war is inevitable.” Also, President Clinton, in his first inaugural address, commented on the need for diplomacy and force in order to maintain the interest of the United States. These statements indicate that it is well understood by all ideological states that diplomacy and force are really two faces of the same coin. If an issue is not resolved by one, it will be resolved by the other.

Given this reality of the international relations, Islam adopted Jihad as its method of carrying its authority, justice, and ideals to the other lands. Recently, however, due to a general lack of knowledge among Muslims and the Western propaganda against Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims have misunderstood the concept of Jihad To the non-Muslims, Jihad is presented as the diabolical call of “blood-thirsty people” to convert others to Islam by ‘the sword’. To Muslims, on the other hand, it has been promoted as a self-help concept whose aim is to make one a model citizen in whatever society he finds himself in. Neither of these ideas represent the reality of Jihad.

Jihad, as a term, cannot be translated as ‘holy war’, nor can it be translated, as a term, to the word ‘struggle’. At best, its legal meaning can be understood as “using the military force, where diplomacy fails, to remove the obstacles the Islamic State faces in carrying its ideology to mankind”. The aim of Jihad, unlike the Crusades, past and present, is not to forcibly convert the inhabitants of other lands to Islam. Rather, it is to provide them with the security that comes from the application of Islam, leaving them the choice of adopting Islam or keeping their own religions.

The affairs of the society, however are run according to Islamic law. History confirms that this is and always has been the role of Jihad, for it was in Muslim Spain that the Muslims, Christians, and Jews were able to live peacefully under Islamic authority. It was Islam’s justice that allowed non-Muslims in the Islamic State to flourish as artisans, writers, and thinkers.

Islam neither colonized other lands; nor did it enslave the people of the newly opened lands, using them as cheap blood in the battlefields as was the practice of the Kings and Emperors of European nations till recently. The Islamic State annexed all conquered lands to the body of the State, looking after their affairs with the same priority as that of its capital. Contrast this with the imperialist policies of England, France, Germany and America which raped the lands which they conquered. Even the capital of the Islamic State moved out of Arabia to the newly liberated lands, such as Damascus, Baghdad and Istanbul. None of these were traditional Arab lands, they being Roman, Persian, and European cities. Can one imagine that France would move its capital to Senegal or the King of Britain would take up residence in Nairobi. This stands as a clear proof that Jihad is not the tool of an imperialist foreign policy.
In summary, Jihad is the method adopted by Islam to protect its lands and save humanity from the slavery to man-made regimes. The difference between the use of force by the West and that by Islam is that the Capitalist West uses force overtly and covertly for the benefit of a few, such as the corporations, while Islam uses force openly and justly to carry its mercy to others.