I do not wish to start a flame war of any kind nor do I hold any grudges against anyone but this is just to make things clear as some people seem to use this word quite irrationally.
Jihad, sometimes spelled Jahad, Jehad, Jihaad, Djehad or Cihad, (Arabic: جهاد ǧihād) is an Islamic term, from the Arabic root ǧhd ("to exert utmost effort, to strive, struggle"), which connotes a wide range of meanings: anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle. Individuals involved in the political or military forms of jihad are often labeled with the neologism "jihadist" or "jihadi".
The term "jihad" describes is often used to describe purely physical and military "religious war", though physical struggle. Some Muslim scholars say that this only makes up part of the broader meaning of the concept of jihad. The denotation is of a struggle, challenge, difficulty or (frequently) opposed effort, made either in accomplishment or as resistance. A person who engages in any form of jihad can be called a mujahid (in plural: mujahidin) (Arabic: striver, struggler). Such a person might engage in fighting as a military struggle for religious reasons, or for example, struggle to memorize the Qur'an. Jihad has gained a negative connotation and reputation in much of the West because of its usage by various groups classified by the United States of America as terrorist organizations as part of its War on terror.
Credit goes to wikipedia but since I am a muslim ill tell you that in the quran you can only do or force jihad if you are being attacked or if you or your family have been opressed only then may you go on jihad if it is something involving of innocent casualities then it is not jihad if any of you ever have the time please refer to these links:
http://www.dogchurch.org/chapel/jihad.html
http://www.thewaytotruth.org/islam-humanity/jihad.html
Hope this clears things up
