Introduction

Abstract

This book explores the history of the Jews in Iran during the nineteenth century, with an emphasis on their religious, social, and political status during the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah (1848–1896). It examines the interplay between intervening foreigners, the Shi'is, and local Jews, and how it influenced the standing of the Jews during the latter part of the century. The book also looks at the status of the Jews according to Shi'i Imami Islam and shows that Jews, like other religious minorities, were regarded as second-class subjects in Iran, whose religious, social, and political status was inferior to that of Muslims. Moreover, the book considers the major players that pressured Iran to ameliorate the Jews' status and situation, the Iranian Jews' own appeals to Europe for protection, their continued persecution and regular abuse, and how indigenous groups such as some members of the ulama reacted to the transformation in the Jews' status in Iran.