"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٥‎٢‎٠] (١٧٨٢/١٦٧٥)

1520
place of an abiolute interdict on the sale of liquor excited in lin.
dissatisfaction among the Persian Mnjtahids of Najaf and Karb | ITu
chief of whon, though residing on Turkish soil, are the real leaL *
all Persian rel.g.ous movements, and exercise an ascendancy TOr , "
Persian mind which is not possessed by any authority in Persia itself
Early in 1903 some of the Mnjtahids in Turkish 'Iraq addressed a
a remonstrance to the Shah, desiring him to modify his noli™ • h„t t
passed almost unheeded, the Persian Consul-Geueral at Baghdad 1, J
merely directed to visit Karbala and Najaf and to convey His Persia!
ajes ys salutations to certain of the Mujtahids, together with
an assurance that matters had been misrepresented to them. Muhammad-
al- .araw' (Sharabiyam), Haji Muhammad Husaiu, Miraa Khalil
(I amagham) and Mulla Muhammad Kazim (Khuriisani) were the
Mujtahids who took the most active part in the agitation against the
policy of the Persian Government. In the month of June 1 903 riots
broke out at 1 abnz against the Armenian liquor-sellers and the BeWan
customs officials of that place ;and tumultuary r i s i ngs at Isfat4n B J
Yazd ensued, m which numerous Babis were cruelly murdered These
distni lances wei. attributed by the Government of Persia to incitement
by the Mnjtahids of Najaf and Karbala ; and subsequent inquiry by
British Officials in Turkish 'Iraq showed that the Persian Mujtahids
among whom the bbarabiyani was the most prominent figure though
disavowing anti-Christian and anti-European sentiments, did at least
approve of the wholesale " execution " of Babis. The Shah on the
occurrence of the outbreaks, telegraphed to the Mujtahids throngh
- . eisian onsu-General at Baghdad, assuring them that all the
measures taken by b, 8 Government were in the interests of the Persian
realm to this oommunication the Mnjtahids promptly replied by
condemmng, though in measured terms, all imitation of European
vTr her- T T f 8 ' at j tudeal,< > wed - ^rsia to heretics and m lL
me.sme tb T a "i CUrel7 ' that the ^ion of certain other
men me then believed to be eontemplated-probably the collection ot
.^ land-revenue by European machinery-would cause a religions
Ion's I "t /T i and the: '' besou S ht the to repay the Knssian
The Per,' „ the ? V unlimited coinage of silver.
for they bTd " 0nt,eS ''.'f , ■ , : ste,, tlje ^ professions of tie Mujtahids,
toi they had, it was said, been shown a document siriied bv the
others which conveyed approval of the lawless F ocee-
ISi u eiessa courteous thou s h
6 h to the Mujtahids, in which he professed readiness
d ^
eh