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John Kiriakou's insistence, as a graduate in Islamic theology and an Arabic speaker, that jihad does not mean and has never meant holy war. He traces the American usage to media coverage of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the embassy hostage crisis, and points out that one can declare a jihad against poverty or in favour of education.
“Jihad means to struggle” is a correction John Kiriakou makes repeatedly, and made at length in July 2026 while discussing American anxiety about Muslim communities.
The claim
Kiriakou’s objection is to the word being thrown around as though its meaning were settled: “we hear the word jihad thrown around like, oh my god, it’s jihad. Jihad is holy war. No, it’s not. It does not mean holy war. It’s never meant holy war.”[1]
The etymology he gives is that jihad comes from the Arabic verb meaning to struggle. The consequence he draws is grammatical rather than theological: one can declare a jihad against poverty, or in favour of women’s rights, or in favour of education. It simply does not mean holy war.[2]
Where he says the usage came from
He attributes the English sense entirely to American reporting, dating it to 1979 — the Iranian revolution and the taking of American diplomats hostage at the embassy in Tehran — and names the culprits as ABC, CBS and NBC, on the ground that in that period they were essentially all the broadcast media there was.[1][2]
Kiriakou brings unusual standing to the point. He read Islamic theology as his concentration within Middle Eastern studies, learned Arabic to a level native speakers have remarked on, and served for years in the Arab world.[1]
He makes a parallel argument about Sharia, which he says panics Americans for no better reason: in practice, for many American Muslims, it is a way of life governing matters such as the division of an estate and the prohibition on charging or paying interest, and does not mean beheadings or stonings.[2]
Sourced from John Kiriakou's on-record public statements. See his profile for the full body of his interviews, podcast appearances, and short-form video.
