Islamic republic

An Islamic Republic is a form of government, known as a theocracy, advocated by some Muslim religious leaders in the Middle East and Africa.

Under the rule of an Islamic Republic the laws of the state are compatible to the laws of Islam, although the state remains a republic where Islam doesn't have a ruling. For example, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the sole leader is a high-ranking religious cleric, theoretically elected indirectly by people, while the president and the parliament members are elected by direct vote of the citizens (although that is not implemented properly, as many sources agree). In others like Pakistan, Islamic laws are considered to override the state's laws.

The Islamic Republic of Iran (1979- ) was one of the first contemporary nations to formally atempt to follow this form of the government after a revolution. However, some people believe that since the death of the republic's founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's religious infrastructure is crumbling, and the nation is slowly edging away from the original ideas of Khomeini or the people who revolted against the previous monarchy.

Today, the creation of Islamic Republics is the rallying cry for many Muslim fundamentalists all over the world. Many of these Muslims advocate the abolishment of the monarchies of the Middle East; regimes which they believe to be overly secular or otherwise destructive to Islam.

The following countries are officially called an Islamic Republic in their full name: Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, and Pakistan, though they vary greatly in individual governments and laws.