Years ago, I befriended two Iranian immigrants to the U.S., who worked at a local 7-11 convenience store. I had lived in Israel, and because they were of obvious Middle Eastern background, I joked and chatted with them regularly. They seemed to be "fitting in" well to American life; going to nightclubs and dating American girls. They were curious about my being Jewish and all that it entails, and expressed great curiosity about our holidays, Israel, etc... . I felt familiar enough with them that I used to joke with them and tell them "I think I'll mail the pictures both of you showed me of yourselves with your American girlfriends to the Ayatollah Khomeini, so he'll know that you're both doing well."
Anyway, one day they asked me about the High Holy Days which were coming up, and I was explaining about Rosh Hashana, etc..., they both asked me if it would be permissible for them to attend the services at synagogue, and wanted to know would anyone object to them. I assured them that they would be welcome to attend and I would meet them early before the service and go in with them.
Came the appointed meeting time and place, and the Iranians were a no-show. No calls either.
Several days later I found them at work as usual, and somewhat peeved, asked them why they didn't meet me as they promised.
One said, "Listen!...if my grandmother back in Iran knew that I had even been in the presence of a Jew, she would have made me strip off all of my clothes, and stand on a concrete block while she poured boiling hot water and soap all over me until the soap was all used up...in order to destroy the contamination!"
Always nice to know who your friends are!
And, by the way, I have since found out that he told me the 100% truth...that is exactly what the average Iranian is taught to do if exposed to "The Jew".
I'm not even so sure they were really any different back when they were Zoroastrians...I've read historical accounts of the Zoroastrian mobs committing massacres on their Jewish neighbors in Persia...check out Gibbons' The Rise and Decline of the Roman Empire, written in 1776 in England (that is...if you have about 6 months to a year to attempt reading all of it).
p.s. Gibbons, an Englishman, included in it a complete chapter entitled "The JEW: Enemy of all Mankind". Think I'm kidding? I'm not! Reading this chapter convinced me beyond doubt that Gibbons was a contemptible homosexual queen who could never bring himself to forgive "THE JEW" for a way of life which didn't allow for pagan rites, orgies, and statues of naked men all over the place.