On This Day
1956 – Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world. This date is now celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan.
An Islamic republic is a sovereign state that is officially ruled by Islamic laws and is contrasted to Islamic monarchy. As a name or title, four states are Islamic republics: Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania and Pakistan. Pakistan first adopted the title under the constitution of 1956; Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958; Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty; and Afghanistan adopted it in 2004 after the fall of the Taliban government.
Despite sharing the “Islamic republic” name, the countries differ greatly in their governments and laws, and of the four only Iran is a religious theocratic state. As a term, it has come to mean several different things, some contradictory to others. To some Muslim religious leaders in the regions who advocate it, an Islamic republic is a state under a particular Islamic form of government. They see it as a compromise between a purely Islamic caliphate and a secular, nationalist republic. In their conception of the Islamic republic, the penal code of the state is required to be compatible with some or all laws of Sharia and the state may not be a monarchy as many Middle Eastern states are presently. Despite this, there are republics with Islam as a state religion and that are (at least partly) ruled by Islamic laws, but do not carry the “Islamic republic” name – examples include Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Maldives and Bangladesh.
Iran officially uses it as a title in all governance names referring to the country (e.g. the Islamic Republic of Iran Army or the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) as opposed to its equivalents in Afghanistan which are called the Afghan National Army and the Radio Television Afghanistan. Unlike the others, Iran also uses the IRI acronym of the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of official acronyms.
Born On This Day
1842 – Susan Jane Cunningham, American mathematician (d. 1921)
Susan Jane Cunningham (March 23, 1842 – January 24, 1921) was an American mathematician instrumental in the founding and development of Swarthmore College.[1] She was born in Maryland, and studied mathematics and astronomy with Maria Mitchell at Vassar College as a special student during 1866–67.[1] She also studied those subjects during several summers at Harvard University, Princeton University, Newnham College, Cambridge, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and Williams College.[1]
FYI
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DamnDelicious
- Red and Green Chicken Enchiladas December 21, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Can’t decide between red or green enchilada sauce? Now you can have both and have the best of both worlds! Sometimes you need red enchiladas, and sometimes you need green. This is where I have you completely covered. Called divorciadas or […]Chungah @ Damn Delicious
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta December 14, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Creamy, garlicky, mushroom fettuccine that’s oh-so-fancy (and so stinking easy). An absolute weeknight staple here! Need a fancy dinner in? For company/friends/family/spouse/kids/all of the above? We have you covered with the creamiest mushroom fettuccine here, whipped up in no time, of […]Chungah @ Damn Delicious
RecipeTinEats
- 2024 Ultimate Christmas menu planning guide December 12, 2024Here’s a handy list of my Christmas recipes, organised by make-ahead and reheating suitability, and those best made fresh. Perfect for menu planning, especially alongside the new Christmas recipe index! I thrive on holiday menu planning. It’s like the Olympics of cooking – except less athleticism and more butter! The goal, as always, is a... […]Nagi
- Easy Christmas Cheesecake Slab – no bake! December 6, 2024This no bake Christmas cheesecake is designed for sizzling Aussie summers – no sweating over a hot oven! Designed to serve a crowd, it’s the easiest cheesecake recipe I know yet it still captures all the hallmarks of a beautiful classic baked cheesecake. Decorate with whipped cream, berries and rosemary sprigs for an effortless, pretty... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 21 December 21, 2024Picture of the day The Padum-Pibiting Road from Karsha to Padum (elevation 3,500 m (11,500 ft)) which is nestled at the base of the Zanskar range. The mountains of this Trans-Himalayan range tower 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above Padum. Zanskar, Ladakh, India.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 20 December 20, 2024Picture of the day Frost-covered lifebuoy attached to a dolphin, captured on Lake Siskiyou in Northern California
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Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
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