A claim often made in the discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict is that the Jews have always lived in Muslim countries happily and securely. The truth is that the Jews were constantly discriminated against and were often the victims of pogroms.
While the history of Jews in Iran dates back to over 2,700 years, Persian Jews would often suffer persecution.
On March 19th, 1839, a pogrom, known as the Allahdad, broke out in the Iranian city of Mashhad. At the time of the pogrom, the city of Mashhad was home to about 2,500 Jews. The event devastated the Jews of Mashhad, who were violently forced into converting to Islam.
The ruler of Mashhad ordered the authorities to attack the Jews. A large mob went on to the Jewish quarter and proceeded to burn down the synagogue, destroy Jewish homes and businesses, abduct Jewish girls, kill about 40 Jews and injure many more.
The Jews had knives held to their throat and were forced to renounce Judaism and accept Islam.
While some of the Jews left Mashhad following the incident, others stayed and would go on to lead a secret Jewish life. While adopting Muslim customs in public, most would maintain Jewish tradition in the privacy of their homes.
There are no Jews left in Mashhad today. Most of the descendents of Mashhad's Jews live in Israel.
