Mujahedin

Mujahedin is the plural form of mujahid, a term used in Islamic contexts to describe individuals who engage in jihad, or a struggle, perceived as a religiously sanctioned fight in defense of Islam. The word and its plural form are derived from Arabic and have been adopted in many Muslim-majority regions to describe armed fighters who consider their actions part of a holy struggle. The term is a generic label rather than the name of a single organization, and its exact political aims vary across groups and conflicts.

The most well-known use of the term refers to the Afghan mujahedin, who fought against the Soviet Union and the Afghan communist government from 1979 to 1989. This loose coalition included a range of Islamist and nationalist factions, receiving support from several countries in the region and beyond. After the Soviet withdrawal, divisions among mujahedin contributed to ongoing civil conflict and the rise of the Taliban.

Outside Afghanistan, mujahedin has been applied to fighters in other conflicts who describe themselves as waging jihad. Examples have included Palestinian, Bosnian, Chechen, and other anti-occupation or anti-regime movements. In some cases, individuals who fought as mujahedin later aligned with broader networks associated with international jihadist movements, including al-Qaeda, while in other cases groups pursued different political or religious agendas.

Because mujahedin is a broad label rather than a single organization, its use and political implications vary considerably. Some groups labeled mujahedin are locally focused, while others have pursued transnational objectives. The term remains widely used in historical and contemporary discussions of militant Islamist movements.

See also: Mujahideen-e Khalq; Afghan mujahideen; Palestinian mujahideen.