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Does the noun "Fedayeen" refer to the loose organization of fighters as a singular noun, or does it refer to many fighters, or both? I've noticed that in this article and on many news programs the two uses appear to be interchangeable and equally acceptable. Could someone with a knowledge of Arabic or Aramaic, preferably native, check this?--Yurtian 19:01, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
In Arabic, the term "Fedayeen" is plural, referring to the members themselves, but when using it in English, it is also being used to abbreviate "Fedayeen Saddam." This use should probably be avoided, and even edited out of the article if possible, by someone familiar enough to distiguish with certainty which occurrence is which. "Fedayeen" as a plural should be fine, but to those unfamiliar might be confusing, and thus should maybe be replaced with simply "members" or some other English term (Or Arabic term, if explained elsewhere). Disclaimer: Not a native speaker, just cursory knowledge of grammar, writing, etc. very generally. I am, however, 100% sure that's just the plural in Arabic. --Michael.Niemann 23:24, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Are there any sources to support this diatribe? Apparently not. I think Wikipedia could do better. I will try and find some or report back with a negative response and delete this entry. Sonicdeathmonkey (talk) 22:27, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
I am no expert, but there are pretty large accusations made in this article with no citation. Namely:
"The Fedayeen Saddam was not part of Iraq's regular armed forces but rather operated as a paramilitary unit of irregular forces. As a result of this, the Fedayeen reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the military chain of command. Whilst paramilitary the Fedayeen were not an elite military force, often receiving poor training and operating without heavy weapons.
The Fedayeen were among the most loyal organizations to the government of Saddam Hussein and were a politically reliable force against domestic opponents. The Fedayeen conducted widespread campaigns of assassination and intimidations, as well as organized smuggling and other illegal efforts along Iraq's borders.
The Fedayeen has been reported to operate a death squad that conducted extra-judicial killings.[citation needed] The Fedayeen were widely reported to have conducted an alleged anti-prostitution campaign in which more than 200 women were beheaded.[citation needed]
If there is no source provided soon, I feel it should be removed entirely. Unsourced accusations like that are simple slander and don't belong here. What is the process for deleting a section? Phoniel (talk) 09:00, 3 December 2009 (UTC)