This distinction is important to keep in mind when you hear Muslim spokesmen in the West condemning terrorism. They may genuinely reject and abhor jihad violence, but if they don’t specify what they mean by “terrorism,” they may not be referring to or condemning jihad violence at all.
“Mali: Ansar Dine leader Souleymane Keita, others sentenced to death for terrorism,’ by Wale Odunsi, Daily Post Nigeria, November 16, 2020 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A Malian jihadist leader, Souleymane Keita has been sentenced to death for terrorism….
Keita expressed no regret for his actions, insisting that their fight was against Mali’s secularism.
“If I have the possibility, I will start again. I am not a terrorist; I am leading the jihad at the border between Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, in the name of Ansar Dine,” he said.
Ansar Dine aka Ansar al-Din seeks to impose strict Sharia law across Mali.
It was founded by Iyad Ag Ghaly, who is suspected of have ties to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).