This trip is my only personal jihad for enlightenment. Unlike the commonly viewed definition for jihad (holy war), I am going back to the arabic roots of this word as meaning striving or effort. Of course I should note that my quest for "enlightenment" is not really to the highest spiritual level, although that would definitely be nice. But in using this term, I am referring more to my gaining a better understanding of Islam through meeting people and learning about their lives and dreams and viewpoints. Having grown up with my concepts of Islam shaped largely by western propaganda, I have decided to see for myself. This is my short journey from Beijing thru Central Asia to Iran as I move from more asian culture down through to the heart of the Muslim religion.