The Telegraph claims that close scrutiny of a photo of Ahmadinejad’s identity card shows that his family were practicing Jews: his surname was originally “Sabourjian”.
The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad’s birthplace, and the name derives from “weaver of the Sabour”, the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran’s Ministry of the Interior.
The Telegraph quotes Ali Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies:
“Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith.”
(Via Mark Steyn, via Instapundit.)
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