http://forums.thinkarete.com/forums/the-big-ideas/topics/jihad en-us 60 <p align="center">&ldquo;<em>The lion who breaks the enemy&rsquo;s ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself.&rdquo;</em></p><p align="center">~ Rumi</p><p>Rumi might be called the world's ultimate jihad warrior. </p><p>But, only if you take a moment to appreciate the true, deeply spiritual nature of the concept of <em>jihad</em>--a concept distorted in modern times by both extreme Islam groups and Western views.</p><p>The root of <em>jihad</em> means &ldquo;to strive&rdquo; or &ldquo;to exert oneself&rdquo; and has two manifestations: one internal and one external. It's interesting to note that the struggle to achieve perfection of the self has been called the greater struggle or greater &quot;holy war&quot; (<em>al-jihad al-akbar</em>) in contrast to the lesser struggle (<em>al-jihad al-asghar</em>), which is against injustice and oppressors in this world.</p><p>To victory in our own personal holy wars.</p> Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:43:19 -0000 forums.thinkarete.com:503:369:369 brian http://forums.thinkarete.com/forums/503/topics/369