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Militant
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The word militant refers to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat, usually for a cause.
Journalists often use militant as a neutral term for soldiers who do not belong to an established government military organization. A militant engages in violence as part of a claimed struggle against oppression.
The term "militant state" colloquially refers to a state which holds an aggressive posture in support of an ideology or cause.
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Encyclopedia
The word militant refers to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat, usually for a cause.
Journalists often use militant as a neutral term for soldiers who do not belong to an established government military organization. A militant engages in violence as part of a claimed struggle against oppression.
The term "militant state" colloquially refers to a state which holds an aggressive posture in support of an ideology or cause. In general usage, a militant person is a confrontational person, regardless of the use of physical violence or pacifistic methods.
Etymology
The word militant comes from the 15th Century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier". The related modern concept of the militia as a defensive organization against invaders grew out of the Anglo-Saxon "fyrd". In times of crisis, the militiaman left his civilian duties and became a soldier until the emergency was over, when he returned to his civilian status.
Characteristics of militancy
Persons described as militants -- either individuals or groups (composed of citizens) -- have usually enrolled and trained for service in a particular cause. Militants may fill their ranks either by enlistment or by conscription. The term usually implies aggressive and vigorous power. Some militant views have an inherent implication of intolerance. The work and support of militants commonly occurs within the limits of international law, humanity, and civil disobedience.
The term militant can describe those who aggressively and violently promote a political philosophy in the name of a movement (and sometimes have an extreme solution for their goal). The various movements that seek to apply militancy as a solution, or who use militancy to rationalize their solutions for issues in the modern world seldom share common tactics. Traits shared by many militants include:
- employing force or violence directly, either in offence or in defense
- justifying the use of force using the ideological rhetoric of their particular group
A militant view sometimes constitutes an extremist's position. A person or group in a psychologically militant state expresses a physically aggressive posture while in support of an ideology or of a cause.
Potential legal restrictions
One could argue that those resisting a foreign military occupation do not merit the label terrorists because their acts of political violence against the military targets of a foreign occupier do not violate international law. Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions gives lawful combatant status to those engaging in armed conflicts against alien (or foreign) occupation, colonial domination and racist régimes. Non-uniformed guerrillas also gain combatant status if they carry arms openly during military operations. Protocol 1 does not legitimise attacks on civilians by militants who fall into these categories, however.
The concept is spelled out in the major UN General Assembly Resolution on terrorism (42/159, December 7, 1987). which condemns international terrorism and outlines measures to combat the crime, with one proviso: "that nothing in the present resolution could in any way prejudice the right to self-determination, freedom and independence, as derived from the Charter of the United Nations, of peoples forcibly deprived of that right..., particularly peoples under colonial and racist regimes and foreign occupation or other forms of colonial domination, nor...the right of these peoples to struggle to this end and to seek and receive support [in accordance with the Charter and other principles of international law]." The Resolution passed 153-2, US and Israel opposed, Honduras alone abstaining.
Mass media usage of the word
The mass media often uses the term "militant" in the context of terrorism. Journalists often apply the term militant to movements using terrorism as a tactic. The mass media also has repeatedly called terrorist organizations militant groups or radical militants. The terms often serve to avoid usage of the term terrorists.
Newspapers, magazines, and other information sources may deem militant a neutral term, whereas terrorist conventionally indicates disapproval of the behavior of the individual or organization so labeled, regardless of the motivations for such behavior. Militant, other times, can refer to any individual engaged in warfare, a fight, combat, or generally serving as a soldier.
See also
Militants occur across the political spectrum, including white supremacists, separatists, abortion opponents, and environmentalists. Examples of left-wing, right-wing, and special interest militants include militant reformers, militant feminists, militant animal rights advocates, and anarchists. The phrase militant Islam can suggest violent and aggressive political activity by Islamic individuals, groups, movements, or governments. The phrase militant atheist is usually used as a pejorative by critics when discussing those people who are more outspoken than the general population on subjects which explicitly or implicitly promote atheism. Various secret societies are known to be militarists.
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