To answer your first question. the correct way to address someone who follows Islam is called a Muslim. Some people misspell it and put the O instead of the U. Islamic is said to be a synonym of Muslim.

For the second part of your question. The official policy and definition of Jihad, is any time someone struggles for God. For example declaring Jihad against something that God has forbidden. Killing innocent people is not allowed, and even attacking the so called "Infidels" for no reason is forbidden.

People who qualify as Infidels are those who do not believe in the God of Abraham, any one other than what is commonly referred to as "people of the book" who are part of the Jewish, Christian, or Islamic faith.

As for the treatment of women, here is some information on that:


In history Men have always dominated women. This is not something that Islam agrees with and as you mentioned yourself the

bible tells the men to be protectors of the women.
The Quran has a chapter devoted to the women, but furthermore Islam is the only religion in which the rules of rights and

treatment of women are laid bare.
This is a very important subject and people are often mislead bythe media into thinking that Islam oppresses women. So once

again I thankyou for bringing this subject up.
Islam teaches that men and women are equal. Equal but with different roles.
A man must work and provide for his wife and children while a woman must manage the house and children.
This does not mean the that the woman must slave at home.
In fact the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a great example of how a man must treat his women.
He (PBUH) while handling all the affairs of the Muslims in every respect from teaching Islam, to helping the needy, to

commanding the Muslim army and leading in the prayers would still find time to help his wives do the cleaning and cooking. He

would play a role in raising not only his own children but the children of others also.
Islam asks its men to protect the honour of its women.

The idea of a man and womans roles being different is not something sexist. If we put logic and reason to the issue we can see

that it is the logical way to run a family since there are some roles that women cannot carry out and some that the men cant

carry out.
Can a man give birth or breast feed a child? No the role of raising the child is naturally the womans. She has the ability gifted to her. Her body provides the nutrients for its infant while in the womb and outside. The man cannot do this and so cannot fit the

bill.
Therefor a man must earn for the family and provide in that sense.


In direct response to your question I believe that Islam offers women the opportunity to live with pride and honour. It does not

oppress women and gives women rights that in modern socities they may not yet achieve.
There maybe people in the Muslim world that do not understand the way they should treat women but that is the same with

people that do not understand in the west also.
These are men that never knew how to respect their mothers and sisters and so when it comes to their wives they dont know

how to act. You will find this in every part of the world.
Women are an unrespected object all over the world from Mexico, to the UK to Morrocco. But Islam is not the source of this mistreatment but is the opposite.

A women journalist that had visited the ottoman empire once mentioned that she thought the Muslim women were the most free women on the planet. They were not judged on appearance but character.
Is this not what women want? Do women really want to be judged on the size of their breasts and beauty of their hair?
I think it was quoted in a book called lords of the horizons. A good book.