Broadcast April 19, 2006 on Al Jazeera TV, Saudi cleric Nasser bin Suleiman Al-’Omar is another member of that tiny handful of extremists who have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word jihad. (From MEMRI TV.)

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America is now disappearing from the hearts, within America itself and elsewhere, whereas Islam is growing even within America, my brothers.

Islam is making steady progress in America. 25,000 people have converted to Islam every year since 9/11, and an even larger figure was mentioned in The New York Times.

[…]

The Islamic nation now faces a great phase of Jihad, unlike anything we knew fifty years ago. Fifty years ago, Jihad was attributed only to a few individuals in Palestine, and in some other Muslims areas. Following the events of Afghanistan, the nation has embraced Jihad. Young and old, men and women - everyone is talking about Jihad.

Whoever is familiar with the Sunna and the Hadith knows that a battle against the enemies of Allah awaits on the horizon, in which the Muslims will be victorious. This is confirmed by the reliable hadiths, as well as by reality.

But some young people wish to expedite this, and because of their love for Jihad, get involved in things that are not Jihad.

As I’ve said, all these minor battles, which took place in certain Muslim countries, only delay the victory. This diverts the strife and calamity into the lands of the Muslims, instead of aiming them directly at the enemies.

Yes, there are places where Jihad is proper - in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Chechnya, Kashmir, and the Philippines. There are many places where Jihad is undoubtedly proper.