Could be -- which would certainly help to explain his intense anti-Semitism.

The evidence is here.

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

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.

Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past.

Yeah, that's right -- if the official document he is holding is correct, the Iranian leader was born a Jew and became a Muslim only later wehnhis fatehr converted to Islam. And much like at least one American neo-Nazi leader, that would seem to explain his need to disassociate himself from his own beople throught the expression of violent hatred -- especially since Islam itself is thoroughly infused with anti-Semitism.

UPDATE: Guess not.

Posted by: Greg at 02:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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