Derived from Heb., kara’im, “readers [of Scripture].” Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a sect that arose in opposition to rabbinic Judaism characterized by the sole reliance on the Tanakh as scripture, and the rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) as halakhah. The name “Karaite” was chosen by the adherents of the sect to distinguish themselves from the adherents of rabbinic Judaism. They originated in Baghdad, which is in present-day Iraq. When interpreting scripture, Karaites strive to adhere only to the p’shat, “plain meaning,” of the text. This is in contrast to the methods used in rabbinic Judaism.