No monopoly

There are certain facts that the Parsi community all over the world must realize and accept.

The Parsis who have once again jumped onto their bandwagon and are beating the dhol (drum), of aapri chokhi jaat (our pure community), need to take a very serious and honest look at this misconception and misguided attitude. The very stark and unpalatable fact is that there is no pure or chokho Parsi anywhere in the world. One gentleman writing on a world Zoroastrian web site has described these attitudes of the Parsis as that comparable to Nazism, and not without reason, in today’s world.

Why should the world Parsis be jumping up and down about anybody worldwide wanting to embrace or embracing any religion or faith, including the faith that Zarathushtra, Zoroaster, or our Jarthos Saheb gave to the world? While I am concerned about the untruths concerning the gentleman from Pakistan, if he chooses to embrace Zoroastrianism, he is most welcome.

Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Baha’ullah, came to give the message of good life and love to all. No race or community has monopoly over their word or their message.

The present day Parsi followers of Zarathushtra, came from Iran to seek asylum in India, having to bear exile from hostile conquerors of the period. These Parsis themselves, without doubt, are the descendents of a very mixed people. There is more than Parsi blood in my veins.

During the time that Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Persian Empire, (remember the King and his sick horse) it comprised of many tribes under various chieftains. They were not Parsis. Such was the case with Rustom who was the champion warrior of his chieftain and the son Sohrab who was the champion warrior of another chieftain.

There is little doubt that after the Persian empire embraced Zoroaster’s faith, intermarriages among these Zoroastrians, and not Parsis, took place. Therefore we can clearly see that the ancestors of the modern day Parsis came from many different stocks.

When Alexander the Great conquered Persia he married a Persian lady. Moreover his political policy towards the conquered was to make them blood relations. As such he encouraged his soldiers to marry the women of the conquered people. This happened in Persia too, and maybe, that is the reason for the famous Greek noses of the Parsi.

The reason why the Parsis in India have remained insulated and even isolated as a community and a religious group is purely historical. It was among the conditions accepted by the new arrivals, for asylum granted by the King of Sanjan, that the followers of Zoroaster would not proselytize nor intermarry with the local inhabitants (these are not the conditions specified in the Qissa-i-Sanjan — Editors). This was a human condition not one prescribed by Zara-thushtra.

There are however, at a later date, anecdotal accounts, of covert conversions of some local women and marriages with them to overcome the shortage of women among the newly arrived Zoroastrians.

As for Ali Jafarey, he too is totally free to embrace, and also convert others who so wish, to the good words and faith of Zarathushtra. Nobody has any monopolistic or ‘theo-ego-centric’ rights to prohibit it or stop it. Further if the new converts and scholars of the faith feel the need to alter or modify it, through their scholarship and understanding, this too is permissible. One does not even need a navjote or a dastur to embrace Zarathushtra’s teaching. For, who was the first dastur and when was the first navjote performed?

We, the Parsis, have neither the moral nor theological stance, right, or grounds to inhibit or stop the choice of these persons. Unless the Parsis are planning a ‘holy war’ of their own, they need to take a very thoughtful and deep look at themselves and their tunnel attitude.

The Parsis were never appointed custodians of the faith by the good Zara-thushtra. In fact He invokes all to choose "That which is good...’ and allows all, through this freedom of choice, to accept His teachings.”

Instead of jumping on the Parsi bandwagon, and indulging in uneducated, unscholarly, unthoughtful, and emotive behavior, perhaps if the Parsis showed and exercised a more tolerant and respectful attitude towards other world Zarathushtis, or who choose to become Zoroastrians, and the children of Zara-thushti/non-Zarathushtis, they may truly achieve ‘personal’ and universal union, here and in the hereafter.

KERSI RUSTOMJI

New South Wales, Australia