Medill Reports Chicago: A ‘jihad’ to reclaim the word from extremists

Ahmed Rehab's grandmother was bed-ridden for seven years. "She said, 'this is my jihad,' when I asked her how she deals with it," Rehab said.  Around the same time, he noticed that the word 'jihad' was being misrepresented by various groups. This gave him the idea to start a social network campaign.

Thus was born, "#MyJihad."

The campaign started in Chicago to “reclaim the word ’Jihad’ from both the Muslim extremists and islamaphobes.” Since its beginning in December, the campaign has been gaining momentum, and spreading across the country and abroad.

"Jihad is a personal struggle," Rehab said.

For Rehab and #MyJihad campaign volunteers, their jihad is to reclaim this word and rid the world of bigotry.

To view the original story along with the accompanied video interview please click here.