As I’m sure many of you have heard, Pamela Geller has struck again. Her organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, recently put up controversial ads in New York City subways declaring, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” In the midst of the heated debate around free speech versus hate speech, a grassroots campaign has emerged in response to the vitriolic ads. #MyJihad is in the business of “taking back Jihad from anti-Muslim and Muslim extremists one hashtag at a time.” Both a Twitter and ad campaign, #MyJihad is an effort both to fight misconceptions about and to reclaim the word “jihad.”

Wash. U. has recently launched the campaign through the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and there’s been almost universal support from the student body. But there has also been a hint of caution towards the campaign. There’s a worry that jihad has too heavy and specific of a religious context for non-Muslims to get involved with the campaign.

This worry has almost completely been expressed by non-Muslims themselves.

I’m humbled by the sensitivity and the respect with which people have approached this campaign. That in and of itself gives me hope for the fight against anti-Muslim hate speech. But I can’t help but be haunted by the following:

Why the trepidation?

The #MyJihad campaign began with Chicago’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Our own MSA spearheaded it here in St. Louis. If anyone has a stake in making sure that the meaning of jihad is well-represented and not trivialized, it’s groups such as these.

I understand where this sentiment comes from. We’re taught to be wary whenever anyone speaks for his entire community. And, especially when approaching sensitive issues like those involving religion, we’re afraid of accidentally offending someone. My worry, however, is that, in cases like these, such thinking undermines solidarity. No movement has been advanced entirely without support of those outside of those it represents. The powerful message promoted by the campaign can only be augmented by the voices of non-Muslims alongside Muslims. The beauty of jihad is that it can mean something different to all of us. It can be a spiritual struggle, a battle against cancer, a fight for justice, whatever is most pertinent to you. But if #MyJihad is met with the above apprehension, and the Oxford dictionary definition of jihad as “a war…against nonbelievers” is taken for granted, then haven’t the Pamela Gellers and extremists—who have deliberately manipulated the meaning of jihad to serve their own ends—already won?

Again, I appreciate the consideration being taken in regard to this issue. After all, jihad is more than, say, facing an unexpected reading quiz. It is an important concept. But don’t let awareness of its importance devolve into quietism. Obviously CAIR and the Wash. U. MSA don’t speak for all Muslims. But what we often forget is that neither does Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. The very essence of #MyJihad is to remind people of that fact. If you believe that there’s significance to that, then perhaps any reservations should be left to the side. After all, in any war between the civilized man and the bigot, support the civilized man. Support #MyJihad. Defeat bigotry.

#MyJihad is to show others that all of our jihads (struggles) are intertwined. What’s yours?