Important note, I feel. In the book it’s jihad, in the movies it’s holy war. Presumably because America has been so openly Islamophobic the last twenty plus years, that I imagine the audience would have perceived racism, when, in fact, the 1965 text says jihad. Just like to point that out as an interesting historical and cultural note. (Side note, haven’t seen the latest, but I remember at least the first one saying holy war and never jihad.)

I was thinking it was because of reactionaries who would freak out about the “good guy” leading a “jihad”.

I mean they never read the book too, where it’s pretty obvious that the Paul’s jihad is something horrific he wanted to avoid, and the next books when it’s obvious that Paul was not even a good guy (and he did not even seen himself as one!)