Capitol gave the band one week to complete the EP, which meant its production was rushed, and the songs were not as fleshed out or developed as they could have been.

[14][15] Otep Shamaya's vocals consist of screaming, growling and rapping, as well as elements of spoken word.

[11] This is best shown on the EP's third track, "Germ", an improvisational spoken word song, with drummer Mark Bistany creating percussion with a variety of objects such as a napkin dispenser, an aluminum ladder, a plastic tree, a sneaker and a toaster.

[10] Jihad was aesthetically and lyrically influenced by occultism, ancient cultures and Egyptian and Greek mythology.

[11] Jihad also touches on topics such as organised religion ("The Lord Is My Weapon"), rape ("Filthee"), politics and feminism.

I think it's important that people recognize, that I am a woman and that's great and that doesn't make me any less powerful than other bands like Slipknot and Mudvayne.

"[19] All of the songs on Jihad, aside from "Germ", were re-recorded for the band's debut album Sevas Tra, with "The Lord is My Weapon" being renamed "Sacrilege".

[2] After completing the tours, Otep headed back into the studio to start writing songs for Sevas Tra, which they had previously teased on the EP's liner notes.