Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani and the Jewish Question *

The early encounter with the West in Iran produced a number of reformminded intellectuals whose heritage is cherished in some circles to this day; one of them was Kermani. Mirza Abdol Hosein, known as Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani, was born in 1854 to a well-to-do family of land-owners in the Kerman region. ¹ In addition to a traditional education, he studied preIslamic Iranian history, religions, and languages. The fact that he was the grandson of a Zoroastrian judge turned Muslim must have influenced his early interest in this field of study, unusual at that time. His family's sufi background was another important factor in shaping his personality; it probably strengthened his anti-establishment attitudes in both the political and religious domains, including his early adherence to the ideas of the Babi-Azalis, a militant, reform-oriented religious movement.