• Farhad@freefree.psOP
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    5 months ago

    @emergencyfood
    The term “shaheed” translated to martyr is used in different ways.

    First reference is for fighters who die in a holy war.

    The second is used for those innocent who didn’t fight, but were murdered unjustifiably.

    It’s a cultural thing that people unfamiliar with Arab/muslim traditions don’t understand.

    I don’t use the term, as I’m not religious, but when I post from Palestinian sources, I share what they wrote.

    • dhaonna_aontaithe@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      It’s not even just an arab/Muslim thing, the dual usage thing of the term martyr is also a Christian thing, at least in a few parts of it

        • chobeat@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          The Catholic Church uses “martyr” to define “innocent who didn’t fight, but were murdered unjustifiably”. For sure some nuance is missing, but it’s full of martyrs saints that just got killed because they were Christians.

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      Ah okay, that makes sense.

      ‘Shaheed’, in my country, is usually used only for those who voluntarily die for a good cause (like independence activists who were executed by the British). I guess the meaning got changed when we borrowed the word.

    • mrdown@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      It is even wider than that

      It can refer to who die from plague, stomach disease, drowning, being crushed by a falling wall or structure, and those who die in battle