A Muslim warrior who fought to expand Islamic territory, particularly on the frontiers between Islamic and non-Islamic lands.
From Arabic 'ghaza' meaning 'to raid' or 'to fight,' referring to warriors who conducted raids against non-Muslim territories. The term carried religious connotations of fighting for the faith.
Early Ottoman rulers proudly called themselves ghazis, but they often raided other Muslim territories too—showing how political ambition sometimes trumped religious ideology even among 'holy warriors'!
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