Rapport with religions

For service to interfaith relations, Jehangir Sarosh, president emeritus of the European chapter of the World Council on Religions for Peace, was conferred the OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Princess Anne on May 23, 2012. Seventy-four-year-old Sarosh is the interfaith representative of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe and the World Zoroastrian Organisation, serves as patron of Asha Centre and trustee of the Erach and Roshan Sadri Foundation.

Frequently invited to participate in regional and international meets, Sarosh has presented papers on subjects related to his expertise like Responsibility of Religions, Role of Media and Religions, and Globalization. He is president of the World Conference of Religion and Peace Europe Region Chapter and has served as co-chair of the Week of Prayer for World Peace. He is an executive member of the Interfaith Network for UK as also the World Congress of Faiths.

Indore born Sarosh had come to UK by road as a teenager in 1952 and having enjoyed the journey he later ran a mini bus service to India so that other youngsters could delight in such an adventure. Before launching his business he had served in the Royal Air Force and worked in the civil aviation industry, notes his life profile. He started an import-export business in 1968 and is currently chairman of the MRJ Group of companies with offices in the UK, India and USA.

Co-moderator of the European Council of Religious Leaders, he brought to Parsiana’s attention a "Letter to a Potential Convert” posted on the website of the Parliament of Religions. Whilst the Letter alludes to Judaism, "in most places one can substitute Zoroastrian for Jew,” writes Sarosh.

Jehangir Sarosh receiving honor from Princess Anne

States the Letter: "Engaging with the historical understanding, processes and rituals of conversion raises many questions… Who are we as a people, and who do you, as a convert, become when you join this community that spans time and space?...I am aware that there is a strand of Jewish thought…that understands Judaism as an ethnicity. This view excludes people from joining in and emphasizes the genetic connection between members… There is another, just as ancient…(that) sees Judaism as a community of practice. Jews are people who share a set of beliefs and practices, and Judaism is a religion that is open to all those who wish to embrace these beliefs and practices…

"There are countless other views of what it means to be Jewish. Judaism can be seen as a group of people connected to a certain portion of land, as a spiritual lineage, a people who share a mythology or history, a people linked by fear, insularity and self protection, a people formed through shared suffering, and a people either born into the religion or ‘reborn’ into the religion through a set ritual…My understanding of Jewish identity has changed over time…Jews are people who go to synagog, Jews care about social justice, Jews are the kids of Jewish parents, Jews speak Hebrew, Jews have a special connection to the land of Israel, Jews believe in God, Jews believe in the Torah, Jews are ethical and caring people, Jews love studying texts, Jews are committed to community. Of course, there is no one description that can capture what it means to be Jewish. For every definition one can think of, there are Jews who believe or behave oppositely…

"Starting the process of conversion means entering into a period of exploration and self-discovery. Most important to me is that you engage honestly, and whole-heartedly in this process, that you open your mind to seeing the world and yourself in a new way, yet to maintain your powers of discernment… At the heart of what I believe it is to be Jewish (are some elements): to think critically, to sit with contradictions, and to open your heart wide to all that you can see and understand and to all that you will never comprehend yet deeply know to be true.”