Peace and the concept of jihad are issues of vital importance. Firmly on the agenda of worldwide political debate and discourse they frame much of the parameters of analysis on Islam and the Middle East today. This work is an important addition to this analysis. Through careful and meticulous study into an area fraught with cultural misconceptions and near total confusion the author has sought to elucidate some of the subjective and negative fundamentals which have come to dominate much of the discourse on this issue today and restore a balanced understanding.