Jihad

[ji-hahd] /dʒɪˈhɑd/

noun
1.
a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims.
2.
any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle.
/dʒɪˈhæd/
noun
1.
(Islam) a holy war against infidels undertaken by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith
2.
(Islam) the personal struggle of the individual believer against evil and persecution
3.
(rare) a crusade in support of a cause
n.

1869, from Arabic, usually translated as “holy war,” literally “struggle, contest, effort,” from infinitive of jahada “he waged war, he applied himself to.” Used in English since c.1880 for any sort of doctrinal crusade.
jihad [(ji-hahd, ji-had)]

In Islam, a holy war; a war ordained by God. The Koran teaches that soldiers who die in jihad go to heaven immediately.

Note: Modern-day terrorists often claim that they are carrying out acts of destruction, such as the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, as part of a jihad.

noun

A violent attack; destructive assault: We’ll call these guys Tinker, Evers, and Chance, to protect them from jihad by the Elvis cult

[1980s+; fr Arabic, ”holy war”]