Jihad is commonly understood as the use of violence for religious purposes, hence, it is translated as ”holy war.” The Qur’an and the Sunnah use this term is a wider connotation. The Sunnah (practice of the Prophet) is derived from the hadiths (sayings of the Prophet).

The Qur’an and the Sunnah come to us directly from Mohammed, as opposed to the various schools of jurisprudence that have developed over the years.

These two original sources are quite explicit concerning human rights. In general these can be expressed as follows:

Justice for all

Human life is sacred

Rational Liberty, to think what you want

Religious Liberty

Ethical Freedom, while moral

Economic Freedom, while moral

More specifically:

Life is to be honored and preserved

All people are entitled to a means of livelihood and access to resources

People have the right to undertake their family life as they see fit, while moral

To own property

Right to Justice, both social and economic

Equal Treatment to all people irregardless of economic or religious status

Privacy

To not have their reputation defamed unjustly

Religious liberty, both intra-religious and inter-religious

The right to Political Power

Freedom of Expression, while not infringing on other’s rights

Establishment of societies and protocols that govern these societies, while moral

Economic Justice

The obligation to co-operate on ethical and moral grounds

The unborn has a right to be born

Moslems are instructed to make sure these human rights are carried out for all moral people, regardless of their religion. Specifically they are instructed to 1) To act to right the wrong. 2) To speak if unable to act. 3) To witness and be conscious of the injustice if unable to speak.

This effort whether in action, speech or consciousness is called Jihad.

Internally, Jihad can take place in one’s own mind to purify one’s moral character and intention.

Externally, Jihad is used to defend your or other’s human rights. This can include cultural, economic and religious liberation and to restore dignity. Jihad does not justify violence when in the offense, only in the defense.

A Jihad can be justified against Capitalism when it uses economic colonization to exploit people.

Professor Ahmad also said that all Islamic scholars had condemned the Taliban’s denial of human rights to the women of Afghanistan.