read a lot of the torah and quran
Wow, you must be some really old, knowledgeble sage, being capable to comprehend both Arabic and Hebrew in their most archaic forms! :rolleyes2

Jihad is a holy war, a devine struggle, is one of the six main foundations of Islam (along with things like charity, pilgrimage, etc). It happens on two levels - the global, and the personal.

On the personal level, it is the struggle of a Muslim against his own devils, his will to do wrong, and to steer away from the teachings of Islam. Therefore, it is a holy war within himself. So far, this is a benign idea.

However, things get a bit nasty later on... nasty for those who strayed away from Islam, or those who were never a part of it. Jihad can be declared upon an entity or a person, whom a Muslim with religious authority (called a sheikh, mufti, shariff, etc etc, much like a rabbi, a priest or a bishop) can decide poses a threat to the Islamic Nation, or Ummaht Islam. Now, the word 'threat' can be stretched pretty wide... it is obvious that a conqueror who is not of the Islamic faith can have Jihad declared upon him. However, if in the eyes of some more radical Muslim, certain Muslims are not 'close enough to the faith', he can declare Jihad upon them as well. That way, when Egypt became more secular over the years, it suffered from continous acts of terrorism, in the name of Islam and Jihad - all of which is legitimate, according to Islamic law. They are infidels, and once they are under the axe of Jihad, must either correct their ways (convert or go back to their religious roots), or perish.

In the eyes of radical Muslims (of which there way too many for comfort), the entire world in the Nation of Islam, and all must convert or die. Tough.

About suicide - yes, much like the two monotheistic religions that came before it, Islam speaks against suicide. However, dying for a cause (and in Islam, the cause justifies the means, under most circumstances) is not suicide. If you blow yourself up to kill the enemy, it is not suicide, according to Islamic law, but an act of heroism, a martyr's death, worthy of a place in heaven.