Date: Jul 28, 2007 6:02 PM
Subject: ARZ's advert on non-Parsis viewing deceased bodies in misleading
Cc: arzmumbai@yahoo.com
Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis
cc: Ervad Sahebs
cc: Prominent Zarathushtis
cc: TZML members
cc: Zoroastrian Studies
cc: The Parsee Voice
cc: Dini Awaz
cc: Parsi Pukar
cc: TMYZ officials
cc: ARZ
it seems ARZ has a lot of money to burn, given their large but
misleading advertisements in the Jame Jamshed weekly.
In last Sunday's issue (22-7-2007), they seem to have completely lost the plot.
Why would someone in their right sense compare the non-Parsi workers
at Doongerwadi (like maalis, watchmen) with the inter-married Parsis
and non-Parsis, about the question of not allowing them to look at the
bodies of deceased Parsis after the sachkar ceremony.
ARZ should understand that maalis and watchmen are not employed at
Doongerwadi to waste their time in peeping at the bodies of deceased
Parsis, and no trustee of BPP nor the families of the deceased
actively encourage these people to gaze at the bodies. Any error is
coincidental and not worthy of raising a big alarm over something not
worthy of even mentioning.
And the comparison of the workmen to the non-Parsi spouses,
intermarried Parsis and non-Parsis is totally absurd.
Non-Parsis and intermarried Parsis are scripturally not allowed to
look at the bodies (sezdo) after the sachkar ceremonies. This
religious practise has been going on since time immemorial and there
is no need to change it to please some so called reformists who take
out advertisements in community papers without understanding the ABCs
of our religion.
We have also received an illuminating reply on this topic from Mrs.
Pervin J Mistry, which we share with you below.
Seriously, ARZ should spend its money on more worthwhile causes then
raise false alarms with large but religiously unsound adverts in the
Jame weekly.
Tomorrow is another Sunday, and we hope we will be spared of more of
ARZ's false propaganda in the next issue of the Jame.
Fellow readers, please write to us about any more ARZ adverts if they
appear in subsequent issues of the Jame, and we will reply to them.
Please circulate this email to as many Zarathushtis you know so that
they are not mislead in by the false messages in the ARZ adverts.
Thanks to all who take an active interest in the preservation of the
Zarathushti din.
With best wishes,
Sincerely
TZML Admins
(encl the very illuminating letter from Mrs. Pervin J. Mistry)
=== =========== Letter of Mrs. Pervin J. Mistry ==============
The ARZ, correctly dubbed, "Association for 'Ruination' of
Zoroastrianism", continues its weekly absurdity in the Jam-e. In the
Issue dated 22-7-2007 the ARZ states: "Why Double Standards? Non-Parsi
gardeners and watchmen employed at the Doongerwadi are allowed on and
around the path-way through which the bodies are carried in a
procession after the paidust prayers. But inter-married Parsis and
their families are stopped and barred from that place." Then, they
ask, "Any religious justification for this selfish discrimination?"
ARZ is comparing paid workers employed at the Doongerwadi to the
inter-married Parsis and their families! ARZ must know that the paid
workers maintain the grounds OUTSIDE the Bunglis. They do not demand
any rights to " sezdo". They merely do their work and do not interfere
with religious matters. On the other hand, the inter-married Parsis
and their families KNOW that our Religion does not accept
inter-marriage or conversion and yet the inter-marrieds demand they
and their juddin spouse be admitted into the Bunglis to do the "sezdo"
after sachkar!
No one has refused the Parsi family of the inter-married Parsis
admission at any Bungli if the family members are married to Parsis
only. The ARZ is championing the untenable demands of the juddin
families of the juddin spouse! Our question to them is, did your
family allow any juddins to perform sezdo after sachkar, and were any
juddins permitted to enter the Bungli when your ancestors passed away?
No! Until now, by and large, the community followed traditions without
imposing unjustifiable "rights". At the Doongerwadi, there is a
special place reserved for juddins who come to honor the dead and
their Parsi relatives. The juddins have never felt discriminated
against as all Religions have their own specific rules. While we are
following the pathways of our ancestors, the ARZ is deviating. If ARZ
champions the "rights" of the detractors, who has more credibility,
the detractors or those who staunchly follow what has been practiced
for many millennia? Detractors cannot demand "rights" when they
themselves have discarded the timeless traditions, scriptures and
rituals!
It needs to be emphasized that enforcing religious rules is NOT
"religious discrimination" indicating prejudice, bigotry or disdain to
the inter-married Parsis and their families, or to the juddins.
Preservation and defense of a religious community and one of the
world's oldest Religions is NOT "discrimination" against those who
seek to alter and do away with the divinely revealed scriptures,
traditions, rituals, customs and the specific way of life that is the
hallmark and identity of a distinctive people!
As explained above, there is ample cause for "religious justification"
for this distinction between the paid workers and the inter-married
Parsis and their demanding families. Rightly so! The inter-married
Parsis, their families and their juddin spouses demand religious
"rights" after knowingly violating religious rules. Should the entire
religious community throw away all that has been held sacrosanct, even
at the cost of sacrificing lives, just because the ARZ's weekly
demands are persistently sacrilegious? Certainly not!
What will ARZ come up with next to continue this weekly display of
mental darkness? More irrationality and demand for fake "rights"? Hope
not!
Mrs. Pervin J. Mistry
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