PERSIA POTPOURRI
Keeping up with the international push-pull.
Yes, there is an established Jewish community in Iran (though this is no longer so in Iraq).
Moris Motamed’s political headquarters highlight the well-practiced survival skills of Iran’s remaining 25,000 Jews — caught again in a political no man’s land by the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Any public expression of sympathy for Israel would invite a sharp crackdown from authorities and hard-line Islamic groups.
“We are Iranians. We work for what’s best for Iran. The fighting, fortunately, does not affect the Jewish community in Iran,” said Motamed, who holds the single parliament seat reserved for Jews. Other seats are set aside for the Christian Armenian and Assyrian minorities and followers of Iran’s pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith.
[snip]
Iranian Jews face no restrictions on their religious practices, but they must follow Islamic codes such as head scarves for women in public. The same rules apply to the larger Christian and Zoroastrian communities. Article
