Persecution of Zoroastrians

"…the Persies are a Sect very considerable in India, of whom the Tradition is, that coming from Persia in a Tempest, at the time that Mahomet and his Followers gave Laws to the Persians, (which they were unwilling to submit to) they were driven to that distress, that they almost despair’d of Life, ‘till hearing a Cock Crow, and espying Fire at Land, they recover’d their hopes of safety, and gain’d a speedy Arrival. The Cock therefore is as much esteemed by them as the Cow is by the Bannians, of the lives of both which, they are the zealous Patrons and Protectors."

"News arrived from Estakhan that the fire of the chief temple of Persia, which had burned for a thousand years, had become extinguished [at the time of the birth of Muhammad]."

"Who routed infidel armies and destroyed them with bloody slaughter? Who put out and made cold the sacred flame in Iran?"

"Nizamu-d din Ahmad mentions no other event of Ibrahim's reign but the following : " The Sultan turned his face towards Hindustan, and conquered many towns and forts, and amongst them was a city exceedingly populous, inhabited by a tribe of Khurasani descent, whom Afrasiyab had expelled from their native country. It was so completely reduced by the power and perseverance of the Sultan, that he took away no less than 100,000 captives." ... There is, therefore, no improbability that the independent tribe which had been expelled by Afrasiyab, and practised their own peculiar rites, and whom Ibrahim the Ghazni- vide attacked in a.d. 1079, were a colony of fire-worshippers from Iran."

"And this religion, namely, all the Avesta and , written upon prepared cow-skins, and with gold ink, was deposited in the archives, in , and the hostility of the evil-destined, wicked Ashemok, the evil-doer, brought onward Alexander, the westerner, who was dwelling in Egypt, and he burned them up. And he killed several high priests and judges and priests and the masters of the and upholders of the religion, and the competent and wise of the country of Iran. And he cast hatred and strife, one with the other, amongst the nobles and householders of the country of Iran; and self-destroyed, he fled to hell."

"Hajjaj ibn Yousef, the governor of Iraq who was responsible for the introduction of a great deal of what became standard Islamic practice, made a concerted effort to destroy the Zoroastrians’ writings and kill all their priests, so that their history and doctrine would be largely obliterated."