McGrathistan, officially the Great State of McGrathistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Kyrgyzstan to the north, Afghanistan to the south, China to the east, and Uzbekistan to the west. The city of McGrathia is the capital of McGrathistan. The county had a population of 9,937,461 people.
Etymology
The term “McGrath” is derived from the Irish clan Mac Craith, who migrated from Ireland to the the Central Asian region of Transoxiana in the mid 15th century. Eventually, this name was simplified as “McGrath” and the Persian suffix “-stan” ( meaning “homeland”) was attached to the name of the country.
History
Settlement of Clan Craith (1459-1782)
In 1459, Members of Clan Mac Craith left Ireland and settled down in the Tian Shan Mountains in Central Asia, displacing the local Tajik people from the region. Overtime, the clan slowly built towns in the valleys of Transoxiana, forming the first McGrath states.
The earliest recorded McGrath state in the region was the McGrathistan Chiefdom, which was established in 1672. The state was problematic as raids into Persia and India were very common at this time.
Conversion to Islam (1782-1896)
By the mid 1700s, the descendants of Clan Mac Craith still continued to practiced Catholicism, which caused problems with the neighboring Muslim states of Safavid Persia and the Mughal Empire. Eventually, the Chief Patrick IV of McGrathistan, wanting an alliance with the Safavids, converted to Shia Islam. After his conversion, Patrick V took on the name Muhammad bin McGrath, and began to encourage his subjects to convert as well.
Between 1782 and 1871, the Catholic population of McGrathistan declined. Eventually, ion 1872, Chief Muhammad III made all other religions in McGrathistan except Islam illegal and ordered the expulsion of the remaining Catholics from McGrathistan, with some immigrating to America, while others immigrated back to Ireland. The immigrants from McGrathistan to America are the ancestors of Joe McGrath and his son Michael McGrath.
Conversion to Anglicanism (1896-1924)
In 1896, Chief Muhammad III died and his son, Yusuf II, became the new chief. During Yusuf’s reign, the Islamification laws the laxed. This allowed Anglican missionaries from England to move into McGrathistan’s territory.
In 1922, Yusuf II died and his son Muhammad IV became the new chief. Under Muhammad IV’s reign, Islamification laws were reinstated. However, the Anglican converts resisted and overthrew Chief Muhammad in 1924. He was replaced with his 17-year-old sister Fatima, who converted to Anglicanism and was baptized as Matilda. She also encouraged her subjects to convert.
Matilda’s Reign (1924-1985)
During Matilda’s reign over McGrathistan, she would modernize the country. Electricity, telegraph wires, radios, roads, and the Latin alphabet were introduced to McGrathistan during the first 16 years of her reign.
The country also built up a modern military, with guns and rifles replacing swords and muskets during this era. One of Matilda’s greatest accomplishments was the ending of boy conscription, which was the mandatory military service for boys between the ages of 6 through 15. Matilda thought that forcing male children into fighting wars was unjustified and banned the practice of boy conscription in 1931 and allowed peasant boys to get a western-style education.
During World War 2, McGrathistan sent a medical force to help the Allied soldiers fighting in the Pacific Theater against Japan. In the years following the war, McGrathistan became a founding member of the United Nations. It also became a member of the non-aligned movement in 1971, which made McGrathistan neutral in global affairs during the Cold War.
Matilda remained Queen of McGrathistan until her death in 1985 at the age of 77. During her 61-year reign, Matilda transformed McGrathistan from a strict Muslim backwater in Central Asia to a modern Anglican nation with international influence.
Contemporary Era (1985-Present)
Following the death of Queen Matilda, her son Alfred became the new King of McGrathistan.
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, McGrathistan would help rebuild the economies of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan as those countries were poor upon independence. Tensions would not remain peaceful, however, as the rise of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan caused McGrathistan to support the Anti-Taliban resistance in Northern Afghanistan. This effort continued during the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The War on Terror was the first time since World War 2 that McGrathistan was at war.
In 2011, King Alfred and his family were assassinated by a terrorist with links to the Islamic State. He was succeeded by his nephew Paul, who was the only survivor the attack. In the years following King Alfred’s assassination, McGrathistan heavily crack down on Islamic terrorism. This de-facto police state would get more intense after the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021. McGrathistan has also militarizes its southern border since 2022, sparking fears that McGrathistan was about to go to war with the Taliban.
Culture
Music
The most common music played on McGrathistani radio stations is Anglican church choir music. This English musical tradition was imported to McGrathistan by Anglican missionaries in the early 20th century. Church choirs in McGrathistan are comprised of men and boys who traditionally wear red cassocks, white surplices, and white ruff collars. Women are currently prohibited from singing in choirs. though proposals for reforming this practice have been considered in recent years.