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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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