I hope I didn't scare off the Muslims.
Jihad, as defined in Islam, means "the inner struggle," but has also
come to be defined to mean "the struggle with the non-Islamic world."
As for Islamic nations and spiritual hunger, I have seen elsewhere on the Internet, as well as other news sources, something is happening in Iran. Not just politically, but religiously. A lot of them, especially the young ones, are leaving Islam for the older Iranian religion (they are doing so in private because to convert from Islam is anathema). Many of them are returning to their roots and are now viewing Islam as a "foreign, intrusive religion."
Likewise, elsewhere in the Middle East, some are leaving Islam for Christianity. It's a terrible thing to not be able to practice another religion openly, in fear that the mullahs will target you.