Explaining the broad meaning of the concept of
jihād in Islām, Muslim thinker Rajab al-Bannā quoted famous British writer Karen
Armstrong’s definition of it as "struggle and effort, not a synonym for holy war as Westerners define it."
Ahmad ‘Izz al-Dīn al-‘Arab wrote in a short article in al-Wafd that not only
did Muslims defend Islām but also secular Jews, like Uri Avnery, an Israeli writer and peace activist who
concluded, in an article published by an Israeli peace movement, that it is true that the Prophet Muhammad
supported the use of the sword in his wars against opposing forces. "But that was a political act, not a religious
one; basically a fight for territory, not for the spreading of the faith," Avnery explained.
