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.