The Koran describes three types of jihad (struggles), and zero of them mean or permit terrorism. These are: the jihad against yourself, the jihad against Satan — which are called the greater jihads — and the jihad against an open enemy — known as the lesser jihad.

In Osama bin Laden’s November 2002 “Letter to America”, he explicitly stated that al-Qaeda’s motives for their attacks include: Western support for attacking Muslims in Somalia, supporting Russian atrocities against Muslims in Chechnya, supporting the Indian oppression against Muslims in Kashmir, the Jewish aggression …

Bin Laden was outraged when Saudi Arabia relied instead on U.S. troops for protection during the Persian Gulf War, leading to a growing rift between bin Laden and the country’s leaders, and in 1991 he left Saudi Arabia, settling in Sudan at the end of the year.

The Qur’an on Jihad Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid.

Offensive jihad is not against an aggression, but is a war started by religious men to fulfill some sacred goals. Some of the religious scholars have introduced the promotion of Islam among people or setting up of an Islamic government to remove infidelity as the sacred goals of offensive jihad.

– Jihad of the heart – Jihad bin nafs (faith) – combating the temptation of sin. – Jihad by the pen – Jihad bil qalam (knowledge) – a struggle for good through the scholarly study of Islam, ijtihad (legal reasoning), and science. Jihad of the sword – Jihad bis sayf (holy war) -‐ fighting the “enemies of God.”

Islam was not spread by the sword but without the sword it would not have spread.