the real jihad

for those who don't know, I'm taking an Islamic history class, focusing on the horn of Africa

(Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti):

I took it because I didn't really know much about Islam aside from what I hear in church and get from what can be a heavily tendentious Christian perspective. My class as it turns out is taught by a Muslim and it's been enlightening to learn Islamic history from that perspective. One novel Sweetness In The Belly, written by British Islamic scholar Camella Gibb, specifically focuses on Islamic Sufi culture (a kind of sect-like, saint-worshiping type manifestation of Islam--very prevalent in the horn of Africa). But the overall message is true for more orthodox forms of Islam, too. One scene particularly stood out, when the protagonist was talking about the violent "jihads" going on in Northern Sudan during the early 1970s. While the events are fictionalized, they are highly representative. Here's an excerpt:

But then came the Sudan, where Muslims of the north were imposing Islamic law throughout the land, killing the people in the south: Africans, animists, Christians. Three days into the Sudan, somewhere south of Khartoum, Hussein and I had left our camp to gather water from an oasis in the distance. Our guide had remained behind, burying bread dough in the sand, when we heard the explosion. The northern army had apparently marked the divide between north and south with land mines. For the first time in my life, I was made aware of the angry possibilities of Islam. That night, Hussein had reached, uncharacteristically, for my hand. 'This is not the true meaning of jihad," he spoke into the starless dark. "Jihad is the holy war we have within ourselves. That is the meaning below the surface. Our internal struggle for purity," he said with emphasis, pressing his forefinger into his chest. "It is the war of ascendance over our basal instincts. It has absolutely nothing to do with others. The only thing we can have control over is ourselves." I do not deny that there is a violent form of jihad in the world. It clearly does and has harmed the lives of many. But that is not the mainstream belief; it's just the most publicized. I am not a Muslim, but it is of utmost importance to love our brothers and sisters and understand them, rather than stereotype them because of "red-flag" words. Just something to think about... p.s. i don't know why my post's fonts are messed up and i can't make paragraphs...if someone could help me with this, i'd greatly appreciate it...thanks...