Jihad. It's a term that has become synonymous with terrorism in the West. A word hijacked by Islamist extremists to pervert the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.

Right-wing Islamophobes have pounced on Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour's use of the word in a recent speech, falsely suggesting she called for a "violent" revolution by using the Arabic term.

But just as many were quick to attack, many more were quick to defend. Muslim scholar and Twitter commentator Qasim Rashid explained clearly: "The word 'jihad' means 'to struggle.' It does NOT IN ANY WAY mean to 'wage holy war,' or 'kill the infidel,' or 'commit terrorism.'"

So, to clear up some of the confusion and reclaim this powerful Arabic word, we thought we'd highlight several individuals who have or are currently waging jihad in a perfectly non-violent way, struggling against the oppression of the Muslim and other marginalized communities.