What is "al-jihad"

n. an Islamic extremist group active since the late 1970s; seeks to overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state; works in small underground cells; "the original Jihad was responsible for the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981" [syn: Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad, Vanguards of Conquest]

Jihad (Al-Jihad or Hayy Al-Jihad) is a neighborhood (hayy) in the Al Rashid district in western Baghdad, Iraq. To the north is Al-A'amiriya (Amiriya) on the other side of Baghdad Airport Road, and to the east is Al-A'amel.

The New York Times has said, "a former slice of mixed middle-class calm in the heart of western Baghdad, Jihad fell to Sunni insurgents after the American invasion. Flowing in from neighboring Amiriya to streets dominated by former Baathist intelligence officers, the extremist groups shot and killed barbers, government officials and businessmen and dumped their bodies in the streets for all to see."

Since 2006 the Shia Mahdi Army has gradually seized control.