Mujahideen
Mujahideen (Arabic: مجاهدين mujāhidīn) is the plural of mujahid (Arabic: مجاهد mujāhid). Mujahid is the Arabic term for one engaged in jihad (Arabic: جهاد jihād; literally, "struggle"). This term was first used to describe guerrilla-type militant groups led by the Islamist Afghan fighters in the Soviet–Afghan War.
Militant groups
Several organisations use the word in their name such as the Mujahadeen Brigades (Arabic: كتائب المجاهدين) in Palestine. They are the militant wing of the Mujahadeen Movement of Palestine (Arabic: حركة المجهيدين الفلسطين ).[1]
The word is also used by groups outside the Arabic speaking world in Central and West Asia. Such as in Iran, for example the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) (Persian: سازمان مجاهدین خلق ایران, romanized: Sâzmân-ye Mojâhedin-ye Khalğ-ye Irân). The most common names for this group in English sources are "People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran" (PMOI), Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) and Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO).[2] Some sources have used literal translations such as People's Struggler's[3][4][5] or People's Holy Warriors.[6][7][8]
Related words in English
The English term jihadists is also related to the mujahideen.[9][10]
