Both "fight for righteousness" & "fight for justice" are understood to be represented by the word "Jihad" in Arabic. In fact, Quran Surah 2, Verse 190 explicitly states "Fight (in the cause of God) those that fight you, but commit no aggression. God does not love aggressors." So Jihad can be only defensive, never offensive. This is like the NFU policy of India, which has publicly declared that it will never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
Interestingly, this has been in vogue since the time of the two Avatars (Incarnations of God) in the Hindu pantheon. The central point in both Ramayana & Mahabharata are the wars for righteousness & justice. In one case, recovery of an abducted wife & in the other, recovery of a due share in the kingdom. In Ramayana, the first aggression was committed by abduction. In Mahabharata, just before the war, the foremost warrior of the Pandavas, even laid down his arms. Lord Krishna, God incarnate, persuaded him that fighting in a righteous cause for justice (Jihad?) is his bounden duty, to protect Dharma.
So in the original meaning of the Arabic word "Jihad", may lie the eternal human quest for righteousness & justice. Due to narrow self-interests driven by political/historical needs, the word has been downgraded to mean intolerant fanaticism.
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