Admired by the last shah, the Achaemenids (Cyrus and Darius among them) have been mostly disdained under the Islamic Republic.

ECONOMIST: Iran's heritage

He has worked to bridge divisions within the opposition, which includes the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, his own People's Justice Party and the Democratic Action Party, which mostly appeals to ethnic Chinese voters, and to turn the loose alliance into an effective campaign machine.

WSJ: Malaysia's Fresh Elections Offer Striking Choice

It was mostly illegal in Christian medieval Europe to charge interest on a loan of money, for much the same reasons Islamic law forbids it: That, as money is intrinsically unproductive, it is ethically wrong to make money from money.

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