When we consider the etymology of jihad, the argument becomes very complex because the word “jihad” is incorporative of many different things including warfare, struggling with one’s ego, defending the oppressed, and even serving one’s parents. Therefore, to cherry-pick verses of the Qur’an and ahādīth to create a single, normative definition of jihad is irresponsible and inaccurate. Then, to use that definition to define Islam as a religion and spread Islamophobia based on that oversimplified/inaccurate definition, as Islamophobes (and to some extent, the American media and politicians) do, is to misunderstand the religion and to do injustice to the 1.8 billion adherents to this faith worldwide.

XREF: Connects to discourse on how religious terms are selectively defined by media and political actors to construct narratives. Builds on: "Jihad linguistically means striving, not holy war or fighting"

Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, loc. 76