Jamiat Ulama i Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani on Tuesday defended his remarks on the word “jihad” and said the term has been given a negative meaning by the Centre and several state governments. He said that historically the word carries a pious meaning and refers to the struggle against wrongdoing and terrorism, not something sinister.
Madani said the word is being misused in public discourse and accused those in power of deliberately promoting phrases such as “love jihad,” “land jihad,” “spit jihad” and “vote jihad” to target Muslims. “The entire ministry, whether at the centre or in the states, has decided that if anything negative related to Muslims comes to light, it will be called jihad. Jihad is a pious word. We are fighting for the real meaning of jihad. The term is being used to abuse Islam in a very planned manner,” he told ANI.
When asked whether his earlier comments had created confusion, Madani said he accepted responsibility for how his words were understood. “It is correct that some confusion has been created, but if you see it in context then you will not misunderstand it. It was my responsibility to ensure no misunderstanding happened and I could not fulfill that responsibility. You can blame me for that,” he said.
Madani said the concept of jihad has many meanings in Islam. “The biggest jihad is to have a clear vision of your aim and work on yourself. If there is injustice, raise your voice against it. This is also jihad,” he explained. He said linking the term to terrorism is wrong and that the correct word for terrorists is “fasaadi”. “We consider jihad as fighting the terrorists. I have always said, they are fasaadi and we are jihadi,” he said.
He added that Muslims are often seen as synonymous with the word jihad, which then leads to them being viewed as fasaadi as well. “It became my responsibility to explain what jihad really is,” he said.
Speaking at the organisation’s National Governing Body meeting in Bhopal on Saturday, Madani said that expressions like “love jihad,” “land jihad” and “spit jihad” are being used to malign Muslims. He said, “Enemies of Islam and Muslims have made jihad synonymous with abuse, conflict and violence,” and added that even responsible people in government and the media use these terms without hesitation.
Madani said the Quran describes jihad in several ways, including personal effort and public welfare. “Whenever there is oppression, there will be jihad,” he said, linking it to the duty to resist injustice.
His remarks have drawn strong reactions from BJP leaders and members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, who criticised his statements.
