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The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a sovereign state taking a compromise position between a purely Islamic caliphate and a secular, nationalist republic.
There are also a number of states where Islam is the state religion and that are (at least partly) ruled by Islamic laws, but carry only "republic" in their official names, not "Islamic republic" — examples include Iraq, Yemen and Maldives. Other supporters of strict sharia law (such as the Taliban), prefer the title "Islamic emirate", as emirates were common throughout Islamic history and "republic" has a Western origin — coming from the Roman (from Latin res publica 'public affair') indicating that the "supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives",[1] with no mention of obedience to God or sharia law.
Currently, (as of 2024), the name is used in the official title of three states — the Islamic Republics of Iran, Pakistan, and Mauritania. 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. Despite having similar names, the countries differ greatly in their governments and laws.
Iran and Mauritania are religious theocratic states.[2] Pakistan adopted the name in 1956 before Islam was yet to be declared the state religion,[3] this happened at the adoption of the 1973 constitution.
Iran officially uses the full 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 Pakistan which are called the Pakistan Armed Forces and the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. Also, unlike the other countries, Iran uses the IRI acronym (Islamic Republic of Iran) as part of official acronyms.
- ^ "Republic | Definition of Republic by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Republic". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Theocracy Countries 2022". World Population Review. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ Lawrence Ziring (1984). From Islamic Republic to Islamic State in Pakistan. University of California Press.