Kudos for Karachi

Lauding the courageous decision of the Karachi Parsi Anjuman Trust Fund (KPATF) to permit the navjoted children of Zoroastrian women married out of the community entry to their agiary, Toxy Cowasjee, editor of Hamazor, the quarterly publication of the World Zoroastrian Organisation, expressed in the last issue of 2011, "One felt nothing but pride for the decision taken by the chairman and trustees… Here in Karachi at least, we have moved ahead and kept abreast with changing times. Our own Dastur (Maneck) Dhalla would have felt delighted that his teachings have borne fruit today in his beloved Karachi. No sooner was this information printed in Parsiana ("Equal rights for men and women,” July 7, 2011) persons who have diverse views and feel threatened with change were vocal in various internet forums. None of these were Karachiites to whom the change applies, so why do those who are not affected object or cause division? We as a community (Karachi) stand behind the KPATF and welcome their decision.”

Byram Avari (left) and Toxy Cowasjee; (below) Wadia Dar-e-Meher in Karachi

If women can have equal rights as voters and trustees, it follows that Zoroastrian women should be permitted to initiate their children into the Zoroastrian fold so long as the mother is a practicing Zoroastrian who has not converted to another faith, believe the trustees. Chairman Byram Avari had further clarified in the same issue of Hamazor in an article by Pouruchis­ty Sidhwa that under Pakistani law, a Muslim cannot marry a non-Muslim unless that non-Muslim is first converted to Islam. There being no concept of civil marriage in Pakistan many mixed marriage couples opt to migrate from Pakistan.
Among those who had objected to the KPATF decision were some Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees who recently accepted a donation of Rs 1,000,000 from a "juddin” MLA (member of the legislative assembly) for Doongerwadi repairs. Writes Cowas-jee, "The BPP have taken this assistance which makes sense, but one wonders at their sincerity of readily accepting the said money on the one hand yet not allowing non-Parsis to attend the funeral ceremonies nor permitting them to pay their last respects. This applies also to spouses (of) Zoroastrians…”
What disappointed her even further was the attack on Dastur Khurshed Dastoor on the WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Page in The Free Press Journal when he sought to prevent the misuse of Doongerwadi property. Declared Cowasjee, "A sad day for all of us that a dastur sahib who went out of his way to stop the misuse and to preserve the sanctity of the Doonger­wadi grounds has to justify his motives through the Press. Is it because he is not a bigot and voices his opinion if he feels something is wrong that he is written about?”