The following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian cleric Jawdat Said, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on May 23, 2005.

Said: Jihad is not meant to change what is in one's soul. Even when you defeat someone, you don't have the right to say to him: "There is no God but Allah…" Jihad is distinct from changing what is in one's soul. It is hard for us to understand this. The purpose of Jihad is to remove coercion from people. Even if the one who coerces is a Muslim, Jihad should be waged against him. After the Muslims have gone astray…

Host: Does this apply to Iraq and Israel too?

Said: It applies to the entire world.

Host: Shouldn't we wage Jihad against Israel?

Said: We should wage an ideological Jihad in order to change what's in one's soul. This cannot be done by force.

Host: But this ideological Jihad is not enough…

Said: It is enough.

Host: But we are talking about Jihad against the oppressor.

Said: Please, let's make one thing clear: War is now dead, and its role is over. The only ones who still wage wars are the ignorant or those who take advantage of their ignorance.

Host: What do you think about resistance to occupation?

Said: Resisting occupation is a Western concept - not one that was held by the prophets. The prophets did not…

Host: But the Prophet Muhammad did wage Jihad against his enemies, and many verses in the Holy Koran present Jihad as a Muslim's religious duty.

Said: This matter confuses us. Using war to gain control and take someone else's place – this doesn't make any difference.