The Kharijites were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First
Muslim Civil War (656–661). The first Kharijites emerged from the
supporters of Caliph Ali while protesting against his peace talks with
Mu'awiya at the Battle of Siffin in 657. After Ali defeated the
Kharijites, he was assassinated in 661 by a vengeful Kharijite. As
caliph, Mu'awiya kept them in check until the power vacuum caused by the
Second Muslim Civil War allowed them to seize large areas in Persia and
Arabia. Weakened by internal disputes, they were defeated by subsequent
governments, although their revolts lingered on into the Abbasid period.
Ibadis are the sole surviving sect. Rejecting noble descent as a
requirement for the caliphal office, the Kharijites held that any pious
Muslim could become caliph. Most Kharijite groups branded other Muslims
as unbelievers. Mainstream Muslims have viewed the Kharijites as
religious extremists, although some modern Arab historians have stressed
their egalitarian tendencies.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharijites>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1612:
The trials of the Pendle and Samlesbury witches (statue
pictured), among the most famous of England's witch trials, began at the
assizes in Lancaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samlesbury_witches>
1945:
World War II: Amid a Soviet invasion of Japanese-held
Sakhalin, Japanese police massacred 18 Koreans in Kamishisuka.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin_Koreans>
1948:
Australia won the fifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series, becoming
the first Test cricket team to go undefeated in England, earning them
the nickname "The Invincibles".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Test,_1948_Ashes_series>
1983:
Hurricane Alicia made landfall near Galveston, Texas, causing
$3 billion in damage and 21 fatalities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Alicia>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
prisoner of war:
A combatant or soldier who is captured by an enemy power during or
immediately after an armed conflict.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prisoner_of_war>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
America has meant so much to so many because we are the best hope
of freedom on earth. … Ladies and gentlemen, freedom must not and will
not die here. We must be very clear-eyed about the threat we face and
about what is required to defeat it. I have said since January 6, that I
will do whatever it takes to make sure Donald Trump is never again
anywhere near the Oval Office. This is a fight for all of us together.
I'm a conservative Republican. I believe deeply in the principles and
the ideals on which my party was founded. I love its history. And I love
what our party has stood for. But I love my country more. So, I ask you
tonight to join me. As we leave here, let us resolve that we will stand
together — Republicans, Democrats and independents — against those
who would destroy our republic. They are angry and they are determined,
but they have not seen anything like the power of Americans united in
defense of our Constitution and committed to the cause of freedom. There
is no greater power on this earth. And with God's help, we will prevail.
--Liz Cheney
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney>
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