What is jihad really?

Jihad means striving in the way of God, and it is widely misunderstood as holy war against non-believers. Islam forbids compulsion in religion; the Quran states plainly that there is no coercion in accepting the faith. The historian De Lacy O’Leary called the image of Muslims forcing Islam at sword-point one of the most absurd myths historians have repeated, and Muslim writers argue that Islam spread by the force of its ideas. Where fighting is permitted, it is bound by strict rules: the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, forbade killing women, children and those under treaty, forbade treachery and excess, and ranked murder among the gravest sins. Islam, described in the Quran as a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism. The articles “Was Islam Spread by the Sword?” and “What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?” give the texts.