Editorial Viewpoint
Shed a tear for all
The images are chilling. People herded like cattle, lined up and slaughtered. The civilized world is shocked at the pictures and videos being displayed in the media of unarmed men, women and children being butchered in Syria and Iraq. But what particularly caught the eye of Parsis and Zoroastrians all over the world was the horrific massacre of Yazidis by the extremist ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) now termed IS (Islamic State). The fundamentalist group terms the Yazidis devil worshippers and thereby justifies the mass executions (see "Massacre of minorities,” Zoroastrians Abroad, page 18).
The Parsi concern centered on the religious leanings of Yazidis who largely reside in the broad areas believed to be the birthplace of Zoroastrianism. Though ethnically the Yazidis may be of similar stock, they are not Zoroastrians. Wikipedia describes them as "a Kurdish ethno-religious community whose syncretic but ancient religion is linked to Zoroastrianism and ancient Mesopotamian religions. They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of northern Iraq…The Yazidis believe in God as creator of the world, which he has placed under the care of seven holy beings or angels, the chief (archangel) of whom is Melek Taus, the ‘Peacock Angel’… Some followers of other monotheistic religions of the region equate the Peacock Angel with their own unredeemed evil spirit Satan which has incited centuries of persecution of the Yazidis as ‘devil worshippers.’”
To dismiss the killings in the region as fratricidal, Muslims killing Muslims, is simplistic and immoral. The current war, like all such conflagrations, is about power, dominance and most important, territory. Religion is just a convenient label to camouflage baser motives. No religion condones the killing of innocents.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is not concerned about religion as he drops dirty bombs on Syrian men, women and children. He has only one objective and that is to remain in sole power of the country, like his tyrant father before him. In Iraq, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attempted unsuccessfully to cling on to office after his disastrous divisional policies resulted in the partial rout of the Iraqi army by an initially ill equipped, untrained army of marauders.
To protect its people and territory Israel has rained bombs on the citizens of Gaza. In the Ukraine, a largely Christian country, pro-Russian separatists are battling the country’s military. A power drunk Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed a substantial portion of the hapless country neighboring Russia’s border. Caught in the crossfire of this civil war were the hapless 298 passengers and crew of the ill fated Malaysian Airline flight MH17.
The US government could have helped nip in the bud the slaughter of innocents in Syria and Iraq by supporting the rebels against Assad’s reign of terror but did nothing of consequence. The American view till then was in the words of US President Barack Obama, "Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.” It is only when a massacre of the Yazidis was imminent that strategic air strikes were ordered on IS. The gruesome beheading of American photojournalist James Foley further reinforced the resolve to counter IS.
Even in World War II America stayed aloof as the Nazis overran much of Europe and started eliminating Jews, terming the genocidal conflict as "Europe’s war.” It took the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor to make the US throw its military might against the Axis.
World War II was the mother of all battles, with a death toll of around 60 million, the majority being Christians. There was no Arab or Muslim "problem” then, when the greatest killing of humankind took place. That "problem” had its genesis in the creation of Israel.
In her perceptive article "Parsis and prejudice” (Parsiana, August 7, 2014) archeologist Shereen Ratnagar notes in ancient Iran the Zoroastrians were often intolerant of other religions. "Shapur II ordered that the poll tax on the Christians must be doubled — this tax was the Sasanian predecessor to the infamous Islamic jizya... (If you did not go out to fight with your king, you were obliged to pay the poll tax or jizya instead for his protection.) The Christian Catholicus who was ordered to collect this tax refused to do so on the grounds that this was not his work and that his people were too poor anyway. Together with five bishops and a 100 priests, this Christian was executed on the orders of Shapur. Later, in the reign of Yezdigird at the end of the fourth century persecution became so severe that Christians crossed the border into Roman territory as refugees; incensed, King Bahram declared war against Rome. Military campaigns against Armenia too were fired by a zeal to convert the Christians there to the religion of Mazda worship.
"There were also members of the Manichaean faith whose founder was Mani (216-276), a Parthian-Iranian who enjoyed long years at the court of Shapur but then fell out of favor. On the orders of Bahram I he was seized, killed, his skin flayed and stuffed with straw, and his remains hung at the gate of Gundishapur...”
The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America has written to the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon expressing concern on the attacks on "Christian, Turkomen and Yazidis” and to Obama asking him to "protect the besieged Yazidi community of Iraq.”
On behalf of the World Zoroastrian Organisation, chairman Shahpur Captain wrote to British Prime Minister David Cameron and Obama to assist the Yazidis and "create a corridor” for them to travel to Kurdistan.
While it is commendable that the Parsis are deeply concerned over the faith of the Yazidis, it would be fitting if they also expressed similar concern for the other innocents who are being killed in droves in this insane territorial war.
We should now protest against what is happening to all the other hapless victims as well.
The Parsi concern centered on the religious leanings of Yazidis who largely reside in the broad areas believed to be the birthplace of Zoroastrianism. Though ethnically the Yazidis may be of similar stock, they are not Zoroastrians. Wikipedia describes them as "a Kurdish ethno-religious community whose syncretic but ancient religion is linked to Zoroastrianism and ancient Mesopotamian religions. They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of northern Iraq…The Yazidis believe in God as creator of the world, which he has placed under the care of seven holy beings or angels, the chief (archangel) of whom is Melek Taus, the ‘Peacock Angel’… Some followers of other monotheistic religions of the region equate the Peacock Angel with their own unredeemed evil spirit Satan which has incited centuries of persecution of the Yazidis as ‘devil worshippers.’”
To dismiss the killings in the region as fratricidal, Muslims killing Muslims, is simplistic and immoral. The current war, like all such conflagrations, is about power, dominance and most important, territory. Religion is just a convenient label to camouflage baser motives. No religion condones the killing of innocents.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is not concerned about religion as he drops dirty bombs on Syrian men, women and children. He has only one objective and that is to remain in sole power of the country, like his tyrant father before him. In Iraq, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attempted unsuccessfully to cling on to office after his disastrous divisional policies resulted in the partial rout of the Iraqi army by an initially ill equipped, untrained army of marauders.
To protect its people and territory Israel has rained bombs on the citizens of Gaza. In the Ukraine, a largely Christian country, pro-Russian separatists are battling the country’s military. A power drunk Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed a substantial portion of the hapless country neighboring Russia’s border. Caught in the crossfire of this civil war were the hapless 298 passengers and crew of the ill fated Malaysian Airline flight MH17.
The US government could have helped nip in the bud the slaughter of innocents in Syria and Iraq by supporting the rebels against Assad’s reign of terror but did nothing of consequence. The American view till then was in the words of US President Barack Obama, "Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.” It is only when a massacre of the Yazidis was imminent that strategic air strikes were ordered on IS. The gruesome beheading of American photojournalist James Foley further reinforced the resolve to counter IS.
Even in World War II America stayed aloof as the Nazis overran much of Europe and started eliminating Jews, terming the genocidal conflict as "Europe’s war.” It took the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor to make the US throw its military might against the Axis.
World War II was the mother of all battles, with a death toll of around 60 million, the majority being Christians. There was no Arab or Muslim "problem” then, when the greatest killing of humankind took place. That "problem” had its genesis in the creation of Israel.
In her perceptive article "Parsis and prejudice” (Parsiana, August 7, 2014) archeologist Shereen Ratnagar notes in ancient Iran the Zoroastrians were often intolerant of other religions. "Shapur II ordered that the poll tax on the Christians must be doubled — this tax was the Sasanian predecessor to the infamous Islamic jizya... (If you did not go out to fight with your king, you were obliged to pay the poll tax or jizya instead for his protection.) The Christian Catholicus who was ordered to collect this tax refused to do so on the grounds that this was not his work and that his people were too poor anyway. Together with five bishops and a 100 priests, this Christian was executed on the orders of Shapur. Later, in the reign of Yezdigird at the end of the fourth century persecution became so severe that Christians crossed the border into Roman territory as refugees; incensed, King Bahram declared war against Rome. Military campaigns against Armenia too were fired by a zeal to convert the Christians there to the religion of Mazda worship.
"There were also members of the Manichaean faith whose founder was Mani (216-276), a Parthian-Iranian who enjoyed long years at the court of Shapur but then fell out of favor. On the orders of Bahram I he was seized, killed, his skin flayed and stuffed with straw, and his remains hung at the gate of Gundishapur...”
The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America has written to the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon expressing concern on the attacks on "Christian, Turkomen and Yazidis” and to Obama asking him to "protect the besieged Yazidi community of Iraq.”
On behalf of the World Zoroastrian Organisation, chairman Shahpur Captain wrote to British Prime Minister David Cameron and Obama to assist the Yazidis and "create a corridor” for them to travel to Kurdistan.
While it is commendable that the Parsis are deeply concerned over the faith of the Yazidis, it would be fitting if they also expressed similar concern for the other innocents who are being killed in droves in this insane territorial war.
We should now protest against what is happening to all the other hapless victims as well.
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