Andrew Bostom, our frequent contributor, is also the author of THE definitive English Language history of jihad, The Legacy of Jihad. Today, James Robbins of National Review Online offers another glowing review of a work that is an essential reference work for anyone who wishes to truly understand the nature of the foe with whom we are battling to the death. I particularly like the way Robbins handles the objections of many Muslims who quite honestly have a benign understanding of Jihad as a spiritual quest: Frequently I have had students from Muslim countries explain very passionately that our understanding of jihad is flawed. That what we think of as jihad — violent struggle to extend the domain of Islam — is actually the 'lesser jihad.' True jihad is a moral struggle within each person to enjoin the good and resist evil, what is called the 'greater jihad.' Some say further that the idea that force can be used to convert is not Islamic; it would make the greater...(Read Full Post)