Dr. Ali Behzadnia :: دکتر علی بهزادنیا

By Melody Moezzi author and attorney

I like to fancy myself a jihadist. Not in the false, hackneyed and mistranslated sense of the word, but rather, in its truest sense.
If jihad means “holy war,” then my name means “the running of nails down a chalkboard.” Sure, some people, even some musicians, would call such screeching a “melody.” Most of us, however, would have the good sense to call it what it really is: a cacophony, at best.
Likewise, some Muslims believe that a jihad is a violent, literal war between peoples, sanctioned by God. Most of the more than 1 billion Muslims on our planet, however, are far from convinced.
To wage a true jihad is to “strive” or “struggle” in the way of God, using the most peaceful methods available. This means, foremost, striving to improve your soul, not your earthly circumstance. This internal struggle for righteousness is known as the “greater jihad.” Any effort to change something outside oneself is part of the “lesser jihad,” which centers on the struggle to achieve worldly justice.
While these two jihads represent two very distinct concepts, there are many places where they intersect, places where striving for earthly justice promotes a more virtuous soul, and vice versa. In the words of the Prophet Muhammad, “The greatest jihad is speaking truth in the face of an unjust ruler.” Islam permits violence only as a last resort and in self-defense, and it is by far the lowest expression of jihad.
A true jihadist strives for peace and justice; a true jihadist never starts a fight, and a true jihadist defends herself and her people from oppression in the best way she knows how.
Sojourner Truth, Mohandas Gandhi and Malcolm X would all be considered jihadists. As would José Martí, Aung San Suu Kyi, Martin Luther King, Simon Wiesenthal, Patrice Lumumba and Nelson Mandela. As would Shirin Ebadi, Mehdi Karroubi and millions of nameless Iranians who are risking their lives today in the fight for a free Iran tomorrow.
Countless Iranians have taken to the streets to speak truth in the face of their unjust rulers since the highly-disputed June presidential election, after which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed victory with the blessing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. These pro-democracy demonstrators are the founders of Iran’s “Green Movement,” and whether they know it or not, they are model jihadists. In the face of bullets, teargas, batons and water-hoses, they are fighting for the freedom of their souls and the freedom of their people.
In spite of the government warnings, illegal detentions and even executions of “rioters” who the regime has charged with being “enemies of God,” the Iranian “Greens” are still refusing to back down. And to their credit, they are doing so in a largely non-violent and highly Islamic way. Considering any Islamic influence on the Green Movement is thus a valuable and necessary endeavor, even with many Iranians, particularly those in the younger generations who constitute over 70 percent of the population, growing increasingly disenchanted with religion.
Iran is still a highly Muslim country. Over 90% of its people identify as Muslim, even if only nominally or culturally. As such, the potentially positive impact that Islam may have on the Green Movement should neither be ignored nor underestimated.
It is not an easy task to maintain faith in Islam while living under a regime that incessantly misrepresents it and violates its most basic principles. The Iranian regime’s commitment to exploiting Islam for political gain, along with the regime’s blatant civil rights violations, have done more than destroy any legitimate claim it may have ever had to Islam. These actions have undermined any valid claims it may have had to representative democracy as well.
Many within the Green Movement are now calling for a secular state, yet many of those same people are simultaneously using Islam to do so. And this paradox may very well be the movement’s most brilliant tactic to date.
Even if it’s entirely subconscious, the Green Movement is still a perfect illustration of what jihad ought to look, sound and feel like. The movement is an inspiration to aspiring jihadists all over the world, including myself. It has blessed us with an extraordinary opportunity to reclaim and reframe the meaning of jihad for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. To let this opportunity pass us by would be both a shame and a disservice to the cause of freedom and democracy.

Melody Moezzi is an Iranian-American author, attorney and activist.