“The challenge within”

I refer to the letter by Zerick Hosi Dastur titled "The challenge within” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, January 7, 2008) firing a broadside against the reformists. The question whether the Zoroastrians who espouse "liberalism, open-minded­ness and tolerance, seek to destroy everything that the earlier generations sought to protect” or whether the greatest threat to the survival of the Zoroastrian religion comes from narrow-minded bigots whose intolerance alienates the thinking sections of the Parsi Zoroastrian community and also all right thinking persons from other communities (on whose goodwill depends our survival) will be answered only by time.

Maybe the answer will come too late for the Parsi community and the religion may ultimately survive or thrive outside the tribe of Parsis.

An example nearer home is that of the Moghul empire which reached its zenith under the tolerant Akbar while the seeds of its destruction were sown in the realm of the pious but intolerant Aurangzeb.

Dastur then tells us that "The spirit of Yazdegird looks on from heaven praying to Ahura Mazda to instill wisdom into the minds of fellow Zoroastrians, lest we meet a second Nehavand.”

I am not a historian; but the little I know shows Yazdegird III as an inept king from a bloodthirsty and power hungry family. Yazdegird III’s ascension to the throne was preceded by the assassination of Khushru II while fleeing in the war with the Byzantines (which war Khushru II resumed after half a century of peace under Khushru I). Kobad II (son of Khushru II) ascended a blood drenched throne having ordered the murder of his 25 brothers and step-brothers. Kobad II however did not live long to savor the fruits of the murder of his brothers. He died within seven months.

Yazdegird III, the son of Shahriar (a brother of Kobad II), was crowned at the young age of 16 following a period of anarchy. Skilled neither in the art of warfare nor in the art of diplomacy he could not rally his forces to effectively repulse the attack by the much smaller forces of the Arabs. Yazdegird III fled Iran after the battle of Nehavand. He returned later but again could not succeed in rallying his forces and was murdered by his countrymen, bringing to an end the 400-year-old Sassanian Empire.

I am sure the orthodox will quibble with some of the facts stated above. One thing, however, cannot be disputed: that Yazdegird III as a king could neither keep his kingdom nor prevent his subjects from the depredations of the Arabs. He could not also prevent their forcible conversion.

It is true that the Zoroastrian religion faces a crisis today, but surely the Zoroastrians of today need a more successful role model.

E. P. BHARUCHA