"Is Jihad the Same as Terrorism?"

According to a new RCMP handbook designed to curtail the radicalization of Muslim young'uns--it was created with input from the entity formerly known as CAIR-CAN--the answer to that question, you probably won't be surprised to learn, is

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Jihad is an Arabic term meaning striving, struggling and exertion in the path of good. Every day a Muslim struggles with his/her desires and does good and strives to be a better human being he/she is performing jihad. Prophet Muhammad told his companions as they went home after a battle:

“We are returning from the lesser jihad [the battle] to the greater jihad,” the far more vital and crucial task of extinguishing transgression from one’s own society and one’s own heart. (Riyadh-us-Saliheen)

Well, okay. Then what about that cockamamie notion that jihad is a Muslim holy war and, according to Islamic doctrine, the obligation of every single Muslim?:

Jihad is not holy war either.  Islam allows for Jihad in the form of a military action in self defense only. Even in self-defence, terrorism and violence against civilians, women, children, non combatant spiritual leaders and destruction of infrastructure, places of worship, poisoning of wells (food supplies) and burning of orchids is strictly prohibited. Generally Islamic tradition and law encourages peaceful resolution through negotiations over military combat.

Generally speaking, that's a vast rewriting of history for the purposes of sanitizing Islam's history of conquest via jihad.

 

Also--the burning of orchids? Seriously?

 

If I didn't know for a fact that the "Jihad is not holy war either" paragraph was taken directly from the RCMP handbook, I might have mistaken it for satire. That our equivalent of the FBI considers it to be, you should pardon the expression, the gospel truth, is more than pathetic. It is downright terrifying.

Update: Something you won't read in the RCMP handbook--Islam's founder, who first and foremost was a warrior, used to name his swords. He gave one of his favorite ones a super-special name: Cleaver of Vertebrae.

Update: But wait, it gets worst. In a Section headed "What Does the RCMP Believe Is the Root Cause of Terrorism?" (p. 19) we learn that

There are no single “root causes” of terrorism. Research has indicated that there may be several reasons that may influence someone to go down a path of violent criminal activity. Some of the reasons could include family or social influence, the sense of belonging or status, devotion to a cause, sense of adventure, revenge/grievance, or feelings of victimization or alienation.

So don't you be thinking that it has anything to do with the siren call of jihad embedded in the Quran because that's just plain old "Islamophobia." And if you don't believe me, the handbook mentions some Muslim authorities you can consult (because they have demonstrated "a  good understanding of life and Islam in North America" and have a firm grasp of "the current geo-political environment"; p. 13). They include (my links):

Dr. Ingrid Mattison (sic), Sheikh Zaid Shakir, Sheikh Humza Yusuf, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Iqbal Nadawi, Sheikh Siraj Wahaj, Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Sheikh Abdallah Idris, (sic) Ali, Imam Ahmed Kutty, Imam Slimi, Imam Yusuf Badat, Ustad Nouman Ali Khan and Imam Sikander Hashmi.