The flow of Freemasonry can be studied and paid attention to from various aspects. In this article, which is presented in two parts, we try to briefly examine the process of Freemasonry in the early years of its arrival in Iran. In the first part, we pay attention to the role of the Jewish and Armenian New Islams in this trend, and in the second part, we try to show why a person like Naser al-Din Shah could not be optimistic about Freemasonry. With this creation of space, the banning of the Masonic activities of those like Malkam Khan pretending to Islam will find a clearer analysis; A matter that was able to insure the central power of Iran and the independence of Iranian sovereignty for a while and escape from this new trap to some extent.
a. The development period of Freemasonry in the region and the world
Capitalist colonialism has nurtured powerful and non-governmental centers due to the nature of the capitalist system. Masonic centers can also be analyzed from this angle and they can be observed independently and at the same time, along with extensive and complex interaction with colonial governments. When we examine the influence of Masonic centers in countries like Iran, one of the areas of growth and development of such centers and the localization of these colonial institutions is planning to benefit minorities and It is special for Jews, who have significant influence in the society. The fact that many of them are new to Islam facilitates their fruitful membership in such centers and supports the will of these minorities. Masonic planning for the Jewish minority in Islamic Iran has provided the ground for killing many Jewish men not only at the Masonic levels, but also at the levels of political power.
Moving on to the development of Masonic endeavors in the middle of the 18th century, and referring to the history of the formation of Masonic lodges in different countries of the world, it can be assumed that the coherent effort that was formed after the establishment of the London Grand Lodge in 1717 had its circle in the same years. Or at least two or three decades later, it was brought to Iran, and naturally Iranian rulers and kings have been familiar with some aspects of it since that time, although in a vague way.
b. Freemasonry and significant Jewish-Armenian influence in the governmental structure of Iran
Although Askar Khan Orumi Afshar, Mirza Abolhasan Khan Shirazi, Mirza Mohammad Saleh Shirazi and Mirza Jafar Khan Farahani (Mashir al-Dawlah Eindho) are the first known Iranian Freemasons; But familiarity with the freemasonry movement in Iran goes back to before that. The Gift of the World, Abdol Latif Shushtri’s travel book, is the oldest written work in this regard, which in 1789 reported the membership of some Iranian merchants living in Calcutta in “Freemaison” or “Freemaison”:
“Indians and Farsi-speaking people of India call that association the Forgotten House, and this is not without occasion, no matter what they are asked, they say: “I don’t remember!” Many Muslims in Calcutta, including some Iranian businessmen living in this city, are also part of this association.
Mirza Abu Talib – who lived in England from 1879 to 1802 and Dennis Wright, the former British ambassador to Iran, mentions him in detail in the book “Iranians among the British” – under the title “Remembering the Formisan House and the Situation That Nation”, presented a report on Freemasonry and, like Abdul Latif Shushtri, used the concept of “forgetting” to introduce it, and emphasizing the secretive aspect of this organization, it is noted that foreign people call it “forgetting”. Which shows that the term “forgotten” was not Mirza Malkam Khan’s initiative and has a long history.
In the history of freemasonry in Turkey, there have been references to the participation of Iranians living in Islambul in freemasonry in the second half of the 18th century.
In any case, men whose Masonic history is known have entered this Jirga since the beginning of the 19th century. In 1807 or 1808, Askar Khan Afshar Urumi entered the “Philosophical Lodge” of France. One of the important points in this regard is that one of Napoleon’s ministers, Renaud Saint-Jean-Dangeli, gave a detailed speech at Askar Khan’s reception ceremony, which apart from telling about the importance of Askar Khan himself, can be a sign of the independence of this French lodge from England. and Scotland, have Napoleon, in his letter to Fath Ali Shah, praises Askar Khan immensely. After returning to Iran, he was appointed to the government of his hometown Urmia by Abbas Mirza Naib-ul-Sultaneh, which was an unimportant job for him considering his previous jobs.
In addition to our lack of knowledge about his documented relationship after this period, with the Freemasonry organizations, which has caused Freemasonry researchers to state that they are unaware of his subsequent Masonic activities, we can make an important guess based on some evidence. In order to conclude this guess in the mind, it is important to imagine that during this period, he was located in close proximity and somewhat more interaction with the Ottoman government, and perhaps his establishment in Urmia is free from this connection. Derin did not know about the Freemasonry organization; Because we know that in 1818 AD, the Iranian freemasonry philosophy – whose Iranianness has been doubted by Elgar – was founded by the Grandavaris in Erzurum.
Another case that can be considered from the point of view of benefiting religious minorities and strengthening their position is the entry of the niece of Mirza Ibrahim Khan Kalantar into the Freemasonry Jirga.
Two years after Askar Khan entered the French Masonic organization, Mirza Abul Hasan Khan Ilchi (nephew and husband of Mirza Ibrahim Khan Kantar’s sister, nicknamed Etimad al-Dawlah, who was also a Jew by origin and a convert to Islam), seven months after entering England on 14 On June 15, 1810, he joined the Freemasonry Jirga with a magnificent ceremony and was granted the prestigious position of “Past Grand Master” of the Grand Lodge of England and “Regional Grand Master” of Iran.
After that, Shah’s brother organized a banquet in honor of Ilchi and gave a speech in his praise. It is worth mentioning that Sergor Ozley, who came to Iran with Ilchi as British minister plenipotentiary, took the order of “Regional Grand Master of Freemasonry” for himself, as a monthly provision of one thousand pounds sterling for Mirza from the Indian Company. Sharqi, provided that he received it until the end of his life and for 35 years. Let’s leave aside the fact that someone like Mojtaba Minawi believes that “he received financial aid from the British government for several years, apparently he did not betray his country”!
The interesting thing is that he made great efforts to secure the interests of England in the Golestan and Turkmanchai contract. As in the years 1234-1235 AH/1819-1820 AD, he was Iran’s ambassador to England for the second time and attended the Freemasonry meetings, and after returning to Iran from 1823 AD/1239 AH, on behalf of Fath Ali Shah for 10 years. , until the death of Fath Ali Shah (1250 AH/1834 AD), he became the second (and according to the report or analysis of Abbas Iqbal Ashtiani, the first) foreign minister of Iran. Following the death of the Shah and a conspiracy against the Viceroy and support for Alisha Zalul Sultan, the eldest son of Fath Ali Shah who claimed the throne and sat on the throne in Tehran, he sought the support of foreign governments and after Muhammad Shah’s procession, fearing Mirza Abul Qasim Qaim Maqam, the great president of Muhammad Shah, sat in Abd al-Azim Bast, but after the dismissal and murder of Qaim Maqam (30 Safar 1251 AH/26 June 1835 AD), he returned to the stage with the support of the British and in 1254 AH / 1838, he again reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was in that position until his death (1845/1262) and played an important role in restoring the relationship between Iran and England, after the failed attempt of Mohammad Shah to conquer Herat and the strained relations between the two.
It is interesting to know that Mirza Abul Hasan Khan Ilchi, after the deposing of his father-in-law (or brother-in-law) and his uncle by Fath Ali Shah, Mirza Ibrahim Khan Kalantar (Etimad al-Dawlah) and the destruction of this family, including blinding, cutting the tongue Etimad al-Dawlah, exiled to Taleghan Qazvin and finally his murder in Taleghan (1215 AH/1801 AD), lost the government of Shushtar and lived in exile in India for some time. This period coincides with four years of Richard Wellesley’s rule in India. The contents of Abolhasan Shirazi’s travelogue also show his close connection with the Wellesley family during his embassy in London (1810-1809). Richard Wellesley was the foreign minister of England during this embassy, and he supported him tremendously, and at the end of the mission, he wrote a letter of recommendation for him to Mirza Shafi Mazandarani, the Prime Minister of Iran.
One of the good starting points for investigating the influence of Jews in the governmental structure of Iran, which was not unconnected with Freemasonry, is the story of the migration of a part of the Jews of Baghdad to Iran and India. In the meantime, the Sassoons (Rothchilds of the East), along with families such as Koduri (Khaduri), Ezqal, Ezra Gebay, Nasim, Hayim, etc., are among the Jews who created a wide network in the centuries 19th and 20th AD, they form as “Baghdadi Jews” and its broad branches have enjoyed great influence in Iraq, Iran, India and Southeast Asia; A network that played the main role in the world trade of opium in the 19th century and still has an international presence today.
The descent of the Sassoon family goes back to Sheikh Sassoon bin Saleh, who was the head of the Jews of Baghdad in 1817-1781 and the money changer of the Pasha of Baghdad.
What is important in the present discussion is that in the last years of Fath Ali Shah’s reign, shortly after the conclusion of the Treaty of Turkmanchai and when Sarjan Malkam was in charge of Bombay, Sassoons and a large group of Jews from Baghdad They migrated en masse to Bushehr port. Sheikh Sassoon died in Bushehr in 1830 and his eldest son Dawood (later David Sassoon and friend of Edward VII) established his trading house in Bombay. A group of the aforementioned Baghdadi Jews also migrated to different cities of Iran, especially Shiraz and Isfahan. Some converted to Islam and forged birth certificates to hide their background, and some remained Jews.
At the same time, the new-Islam family of Qavam Shirazi – descended from Jews who had migrated to Iran in the first half of the 18th century – had a lot of political authority in the central government, and the city of Shiraz was considered the native base of their power. One of the Jewish members of Qavam Shirazi family, named Molla Agha Baba, was also the head of Iran’s Jews. Mirza Ibrahim Khan Kalantar (Qawam Shirazi) also played a decisive role in the social and political destiny of Iran with his coup against Zandiya and helping to establish the Qajar government. These factors naturally facilitated the establishment and influence of the new Baghdadi immigrants; As the Foroughi family was one of the same Jadid al-Islam who had moved from Baghdad to Iran, the position of the Foroughis in Iran’s governmental structure does not need to be explained. Just as an example of the connection of these modern Jews to Islam, we note that Abolhasan Foroughi was one of the main and early members of the Iranian Awakening Lodge, who, together with some others, for the first time, drafted the constitution of Freemasonry. translated
The Sassoons Company and its agents in Iran – many of whom were Jewish Jadid al-Islam – have also had a great impact on the political economy of Iran. For example, its main role in the cultivation of opium, which had a great impact on the famine of 1988, and its investment in the establishment of the Imperial Bank of Iran in 1889, as a compensation for Reuter’s privilege, are unforgettable.
Of course, the struggles and situations of the Jews must be examined in its different families. For example, according to Khan Malik Sasani, Haji Mohammad Hasan Esfahani nicknamed Amin al-Zarb – who was one of the major financial men of this period – was also a Jew; As the family of Amin al-Sultan was also Jadid al-Islam and from Selmas Armenians.
Interestingly, “Babiyeh Sect was born shortly after the above migration and its main origin was Bushehr Port. In Bábí-Bahá’í sources, there are frequent references to Ali Muhammad Báb’s connections with the Jews of Bushehr. At this time, Bushehr port was an important commercial center of the British East India Company and in constant connection with Bombay, and Ali Muhammad Bab stayed in his uncle’s room in Bushehr for five years from the age of 18 and was in constant contact with the merchants of this port. Was. Later, around the Bab, there were people like Mirza Asadullah Dayan, (writer of Bayan and one of the Babians of Haruf Hai), who had a complete command of the Hebrew language. Knowing Hebrew in that era is a serious proof that he is of Jewish origin, and we also know that Babiism and then Bahá’íism were mainly spread by the Jews of New Islam. For example, according to Habib Levi, the first people who became Babis in Khorasan were the Jews of Mashhad.
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