At a low ebb

With the new dispensation at the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), questions are being raised about the speakers selected for the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress (10WZC) to be held in December end. Doubts were raised about the bona fides of speaker Fariborz Rahnamoon by BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree. Mistree along with co-trustees Arnavaz Mistry, Jimmy Mistry and Yazdi Desai now form the new majority at the apex trust.
Accordingly, BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta wrote on December 8, 2013 to "a number of Parsis around the globe,” including Meher Amalsad, an active North American blogger and founding chair, North American and World Zoroastrian Youth Congress: "Khojeste has objected that Rahnamoon, who was to speak on ‘Gathas, the beacon in the 21st century’ on December 28, 2013 at 2.30 pm, was a Muslim who has clandestinely converted to Zoroastrianism and was now lecturing on it. If this is correct then Dr (Cyrus) Poonawalla (10WZC’s chairman and sponsor) agrees with Khojeste that he cannot be a speaker and will have to be so informed. But if not correct then he is welcome to the Congress and can continue to give his speech.”

In the email Mehta referred to three of the trustees Jimmy Mistry, Mistree and Desai as "talibanistic” and noted they had insisted on tax lawyer Homi Ranina, a World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis founder trustee being a panellist, despite his name being rejected earlier. Mehta noted that Mistree "scrutinized” each speaker with a fine tooth comb.
Amalsad replied to Mehta and Poonawalla on December 9, 2013: "Fariborz Rahnamoon is an excellent and respected Zoroastrian scholar who has dedicated his life towards promoting our ancient Persian/Zoroastrian history, traditions, culture and customs. He was born in Yazd, Iran in 1949 to Zarathushti parents Mehraban Rahnamoon and Homai Bonshahi. At the age of three, his parents migrated to Bombay, India. Thus, he was educated in India (MCom). He studied Commerce at the Siddharth College in India. From 1966-1974 he was actively involved in the Youth Anjuman of Bombay, aka Sazaman Javanan-e-Zarthoshty.
"He is the current president of the Zoroastrian Society of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada which was the host of the 6th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2011. He has served on the board of Arbab Rustam Guiv Trust since 1995, and has been the chairman of the Arbab Rustam Guiv Trust since 2002. Presently, he is also a director of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) Global Group and the WZCC chapter chair for British Columbia, Canada. He is the mastermind creator of Ancient Iranian Cultural and Religious Research and Development Center.”
Amalsad also added that the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America past presidents Rohinton Rivetna, Dr Dolly Dastoor and Firdosh Mehta "have worked very closely with Fariborz for the past 20+ years.”
In an email dated December 9, 2013 Dolly Dastoor, co-chair of the 7th World Zoroastrian Congress held in Houston 2000 commented "as a friend, admirer and the person who encouraged Rahnamoon, our Iranian Zarathushti member to present (a paper) at the 10th World Congress, I feel compelled to respond. Rahnamoon is a well-respected Zarathushti living in Vancouver, Canada. That being said, since when have our Congresses become forums to hear the voices and opinions of people we like or are of the same views as us? We may disagree with them, but we cannot deny people the right to speak, based on suspicion or hearsay. This 10WZC is at a low ebb; please do not let it sink completely.”