'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎511] (570/714)

INSTITUTIONS AND REFORMS
eXa eNi0D, I,
tina(jiienfl,or
they are prosperous and free from persecution. As soon, however
as any outburst of bigotry takes place in Persia or elsewhere, the
Jews are apt to be the first victims. Every man's hand is then
against them ; and woe betide the luckless Hebrew who is the first
to encounter a Persian street mob. I have already related the
circumstances of the forced conversion fifty years ago of the Jews
in Meshed. During the absence of the Shah in Europe in 1889, a
fanatical disturbance took place in Shiraz and Isfahan, largely
instigated by the clerical firebrand. Sheikh Agha Nejefi,'whom I
have mentioned, in the course of which a Jew was killed in the
streets, and his murderer was at first suffered to go scot-free, and
finally only sentenced to the bastinado. The Sheikh, by w'ay of
improving or embittering the situation, took upon himself to pro
mulgate a series of archaic disabling laws against the Jews of
Isfahan, in which odious restrictions were imposed upon their food,
dress, habits, life, fortune, inheritance, and trade. The Zil-es-
Sultan was afraid to move for fear of endangering his position. It
was largely in consequence of this outbreak that an influential
deputation from the Anglo-Jewish Association waited upon the
Shah while in London, and presented to him a memorial on the
subject of their co-religionists in Persia. The Shah gave assurances
of protection, which were much needed, and which, it is to be hoped,
will be carried out.
This slight sketch of the condition of religious liberty in Persia
will ha\e shown that, universal as is the spirit of scepticism among
Summary tlie intelli g ent classes, conciliatory as is the attitude of
the Government towards Christian sects who keep to
themselves and do not interfere with others, and decadent though
the power of the mullahs has become in contrast with their former
pride, the hold of Islam, as a system over Persia, is not seriously
weakened, fanaticism can still be played upon by adroit fingers,
and the day is yet far distant, when, if ever, the Crescent will be
supplanted in Iran by the Cross.
Note on the Pebsian Currency
{from 'JianUng in Persia; ly J. Rahino, in the ' Journal of the Institute of
Bankers; December 1891).
The story of Persian currency, like that of all eastern countries, is a story of
depreciation, and in great measure of debasement. Etymology gives us in Persia
a lesson in economic history. I have spoken frequently of a toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , which is