ABSTRACT
As much as Khomeini made the Islamic term fetwa popular, so did bin
Laden with jihad. Today, one barely finds a Westerner who has not heard
these Islamic terms. However, fetwa is not a death sentence, just as jihad is
not terrorism. These are the wrong meanings spread in the West along with
many misconceptions of Islam itself. The present chapter will elucidate,
explain and claim to change the described situation. The development of
the classical jihad to jihadism lies at the center of the analysis. It is asked: Is
the jihadist path a promising option for the future of the Islamic civilization? In Chapter 2, I present democracy as a competing option.