"I'm a militant when I say I'll pick up a rifle and protect the Constitution."
- Anonymous

A militant, as commonly refered to, is descriptive of aggressive activists working and supporting a cause. A militant is a person who is eager to engage in a struggle in order to achieve their goal, thus showing a aggressive disposition without being self-serving. Militant, othertimes, can be used to mean any individual that is engaged in warfare, a fight, combat, or generally serving as a solider serving as a soldier. A militant view sometimes constitutes an extremists position. A militant state denotes being in a physically aggressive posture while in support of an ideology or cause.

militant is often used in newspapers, magazines and other information sources in place of terrorist. militant is deemed to be a neutral term, whereas terrorist clearly indicates that the behavior of the individual or organization is reprehensible regardless of the motivations for such behavior.

Table of contents
1 Composition
2 Etymology
3 Mass media
4 Examples
5 See also
6 Newspaper

Composition

A militant usually is an individual, or are a group (composed of citizens), enrolled and trained for service in a particular cause. Its ranks may be filled either by enlistment or conscription by other members. Militants are usually aggressive and vigorous in the support of a cause, such as in a militant protest. Inherent in some militant views are a quality of intolerance. The work and support of militants are commonly within the limits of international law, humanity, and civil disobedience. Some militants, though, operate outside the framework of international law, humanity, and democracy.

The term militant is used to describe those who aggressively and violently promoting a political philosophy in the name of a movement (and sometimes have a extreme solution for their goal). Common goals of modern militants include establishing dictatorships and establishing a single common government all over the world (e.g., one world government). There is little tactically in common in the various movements that seek to apply militancy as a solution, or use its terms to rationalize their solutions for issues in the modern World. Two objective things that can be said about many militants are:

(I) They employ force or violence directly, either in offensive or defensive manner.
(II) They justify this using the ideological rhetoric of their particular group.

Etymology

The etymology of the word comes from the 15th Century Latin "militare" meaning "to be a soldier". The 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.

Mass media

The mass media usually uses the term "militant" to describe some terrorists. The term militant is often applied to movements using terrorism as a tactic. The mass media also has repeatedly called terrorist organizations "militant groups". The term radical militant is also so applicable in these situations. The terms is used, generally, to avoid placing the label terrorism on the individuals or groups who have not actually committed violent acts.

Examples

Militants can be found over the politicalal 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. Fundementalist church militantss are engaged in a constant warfare against the Christian church's enemies (though "fundamentalism" is not, by definition, militant). Militant Islam is used to describe excessively violent and aggressive political activity by Islamic individuals, groups, movements, or governments. Militant is often used in relation with Palestinians who express intentions to commit, or support, unlawful violent actions on behalf of Palestinian nationalism and statehood.

See also

Compare and contrast these related articles.

Activist, Anarchists, Black Muslim, belligerent, Black Panther Party, Church militant, combat, combatant, crusader, demonstrator, extremist, fighting, fundamentalism, Islamofascist, Malcolm X, man-at-arms, mercenary, military, Militant Islam, Militant Tendency, partisan, protestor, reformer, rioter, soldier, war, warrior, zealot


Newspaper

The Militant is a socialist newsweekly published (according to the publisher) in the interests of working people. The weekly newspaper from the United States Socialist Workers Party carries extensive coverage of labor issues and events.

The Militant also maintains a mostly text version to facilitate access for those who need it.

This should not be confused with Militant Tendency's newspaper of the same name which was originally published in 1964