[shazeep]

well, really you are asking the wrong guy there--i would say that 'jihad' is surely misunderstood, as i believe this is supposed to be more a 'spiritual' jihad. as i read, the Beginning of Surahs makes plain that violence cannot be reconciled with the Qur'an; and i know many, many Muslims who don't seem to be too worried about not going to paradise. Again, i am persuaded that this apparent contradiction mirrors those found in Scripture, so that premises may be revealed, and the heart better seen.