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Mujahedeen Khalq

Mujahedeen Khalq

9.9
An armed Iranian group that opposes the government and was based in Iraq
  • proper noun
  • /muːdʒəˈhiːdən kɑːlq/
  • NSFW
translation icon : Mujahedeen Khalq
  • Many members of the Mujahedeen Khalq were evacuated from their camp in Iraq in recent years.

Examples

  • Throughout the 1980s, the Mujahedeen Khalq conducted military operations aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government.

  • The Mujahedeen Khalq has been involved in various conflicts with the Iranian government.

  • The international community has had differing views on the status of the Mujahedeen Khalq.

  • The Mujahedeen Khalq has been a significant force in Iranian politics.

  • Many members of the Mujahedeen Khalq were exiled in Iraq.

  • The Mujahedeen Khalq continues to organize protests against the Iranian regime from their new base.

  • The Mujahedeen Khalq has received both support and condemnation from various international actors over the years.

Synonyms

MEK
vsMujahedeen Khalq
7 9.9

A political group from Iran that opposes the government and uses violence

focuses on resistance activities and past base in Iraq instead of ideology
People's Mujahedin of Iran
vsMujahedeen Khalq
9.9

An Iranian political group from the 1960s that mixed Marxist and Islamic ideas and used violence

focuses on armed opposition and former base in Iraq rather than ideology
Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization
vsMujahedeen Khalq
  • NSFW
9.9

An Iranian political group that mixes left-wing and Islamic ideas and some countries call it a terrorist group

describes a militant opposition group emphasising former base in Iraq not legal status
MKO
vsMujahedeen Khalq
9.9

An Iranian political group that uses violence and is called a terrorist group by some countries

offers a neutral description of resistance and past presence in Iraq

Surface Forms

Morphology

mujahedeen + Khalq

While the components 'mujahedeen' (fighters) and 'Khalq' could lead a learner who knows both words to infer a general meaning of 'people's fighters' or a militant group, the expression is a proper name referring to a specific Iranian opposition organisation with political and historical details that cannot be derived from the parts. Because the name yields a partial, generalizable sense but not the full, specific referent or political nuances, it is only partially predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Mujahedeen Khalq combines two words: Mujahedeen, meaning 'fighters' or 'those who struggle', and Khalq, a Persian word for 'the people'. So the name creates the image of 'the people's fighters', which explains why the group chose that label.