In a recent interview, Time magazine asked Osama bin Laden, leader of the fundamentalist group International Islamic Front for Jihad, whether he was responsible for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa, which caused the deaths of over 200 people. Bin Laden responded by saying, “The International Islamic Front for Jihad against the U.S. and Israel has, by the grace of God, issued a crystal- clear fatwa [decree] calling on the Islamic nation to carry [out] jihad ... If the instigation [of] jihad ... is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal.”

The term jihad, often translated as “holy war,” is one of the most debated concepts of the Islamic faith. According to the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, jihad is an obligation for all Muslims; the Qur’an...