Date: Aug 31, 2007 4:03 AM
Subject: ARZ's mistaken opinion on chasniwalas, khandias, nasesallars
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>
30 August 2007
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
The strange fascination of the ARZ group (which claims to be an
Association of Restoration of Zoroastrianism) with "double standards"
continues in the month of August 2007.
ARZ has been spending their money on lavish full page and half page
advertisements in the Jame weekly, and of late in Parsiana.
Once again, ARZ have decided to waste valuable community funds on
bringing the community standards down by attacking the traditions and
practises which they do not understand fully.
ARZ claim that we Zarathushtis employ "double standards" by employing
intermarried nasslesars and says that we are "using and discarding"
them. And in a skewed kind of logic, ARZ links this sad phenomenon and
justifies intermarriages by adapting the motto "Two Wrongs Make a
Right"
We hope this letter and the excellent eye-opener of Mrs. Pervin J
Mistry below will help our behdins realise that all ARZ wish to do is
tear down the socio-religious and ethnic fabric of our community, of
course in the guise of 'modernising' and 'restoration' .
Mrs Mistry writes: "Yet, the ARZ justifies and accepts adultery and
intermarriage as "Revival", necessary to "increase our numbers"! It is
a sad day for the entire Parsi-Irani-Zarathushti Community when
immorality is rationalized, justified, and accepted by a fledgling
body naming itself the ARZ while all it is doing is destroying
righteousness, totally devastating the immutable spiritual laws as
laid down by our Paigambar Saheb and it is taking the gullible to
their spiritual doom. Instead of justifying intermarriage and
adultery, it should have been ARZ's motto to rectify past mistakes, if
the R in their title truly stood for "Revival".
"Promote intermarriages, perform communal juddin 'naojotes', and
thereby destroy the majestic Zarathushti religion and its accompanying
traditions down", seems to be ARZ's motto as we head into the New Year
YZ1377.
Well done, ARZ! You have taken very appropriate steps in the Ruination
of the Zoroastrian community.
Fellow Zarathushtis, please circulate this cautionary email to all
Zarathushtis you know - at internet discussion groups and also to your
friends and family members.
TZML Admins
(encl Mrs. Pervin J. Mistry's letter below)
--------------------------------- Letter from Mrs. Pervin J Mistry
---------------------------------------------
Reply to ARZ regarding the "chasniwallas", "khandias" and "nasesallars".
Dear Humdeens,
I am referring to two issues of Jam-e dated August 5th and August 12,
2007. In both the weekly issues, the ARZ's advertisements state: " Why
Double Standards?"
In the Jam-e issue of the 5th, ARZ writes:
"Most of the Agiaries and Atash Behrams have employed helpers
(chasniwalas, etc.) who are of mixed parentage.
"But at the same time, other inter-married Parsi couples & their
children are barred & stopped from following the Zoroastrian religion.
"Why such selfish, discriminative policy of 'Take them when required,
& discard them when you don't'? "
In the Jam-e issue dated August 12th, the ARZ repeats the same words
except in the first line where the "chasniwalas" are referred to.
Instead, the ARZ mentions the khandias and the nasesallars. The ad
states, " Most of the Khandias & Nasesallars at the Dokhmas are
inter-married and/or born of mixed parentage.
"But at the same time, other inter-married Parsi couples & their
children are barred & stopped from following the Zoroastrian religion.
"Why such selfish, discriminative policy of 'Take them when required,
& discard them when you don't'? "
It is contemptible that the ARZ, the Association for the "Ruination"
of Zoroastrianism, wants to draw attention to certain wrong events and
practices that have crept into our religious institutions. The word
"Revival" indicates "to bring back to life", "to reawaken", "to infuse
new life in order to renew", "to resurrect". Obviously, the ARZ
inappropriately uses the word "Revival" in its title. This misnomer in
ARZ's title has been correctly changed by one Dasturji Saheb to read
"Ruination" since the ARZ is not "reviving" something spiritual;
rather, it is giving new life to the ghosts and shadows of the past
which created controversy and destroyed peace and harmony within the
community. Shameful acts and vices are to be condemned and never to be
"revived" by any standard of decency, ethical values, by any community
which is "religious"!
The ARZ's protracted intention is to further the wrong cause by
promoting unpardonable heresies and irreligious practices! Since the
ARZ uses the word "Zoroastrianism" in their title, they must know that
a Zarathushti is one who does not believe in repeating mistakes. Major
intentional mistakes perpetrated against one's religion are called
"sin" and "heresy". Sins are not left to us to define. These are
defined by the saints and prophets of all the religions. If this were
not so, the human mentality trapped within the bounds of the twin
mainyus, agre-mainyu and spenta-mainyu, will define, justify and
accept a sinful act as "just" or "righteous" depending on the
circumstances and personal conveniences. What is condemned in the
scriptures is indeed against the moral code of conduct prescribed for
leading a righteous life. Religion is a Pathway to God; subsequently,
all prophets have defined what is to be condemned and what is to be
followed. Both intermarriage and adultery are defined as sins. For a
Zarathushtis, the act of mixing "genetic seed" with any juddin is
defined as "gunah", sin (Patet Pashemani, karda 3, Vendidad, fargard
18.62, Husparam Nask, 31.7). Adultery is immoral, it is a sin! The
institution of marriage, which is a sacrament, is violated by the
sinful act of adultery. The Pazend Setayesh, Chithrem Buyat, as well
as the Pahlavi Dinkard, among several other scriptures and religious
sources condemn intermarriage as well as adultery as "gunahs", sins!
Yet, the ARZ justifies and accepts adultery and intermarriage as
"Revival", necessary to "increase our numbers"! It is a sad day for
the entire Parsi-Irani-Zarathushti Community when immorality is
rationalized, justified, and accepted by a fledgling body naming
itself the ARZ while all it is doing is destroying righteousness,
totally devastating the immutable spiritual laws as laid down by our
Paigambar Saheb and it is taking the gullible to their spiritual doom.
Instead of justifying intermarriage and adultery, it should have been
ARZ's motto to rectify past mistakes, if the R in their title truly
stood for "Revival". It is irrational of the ARZ to refer to the
"chasniwalas", the khandias and nasesallars and then pose the
ridiculous question to the community as to why we accept these in our
institutions but at the same time, "other inter-married Parsi couples
& their children are barred & stopped from following the Zoroastrian
religion"? And add, "why such selfish, discriminative policy of 'take
them when required, & discard them when you don't'?"
Not all, but perhaps some chasniwalas, khandias and nasesallars are
descended from the Vansda unions. Ervad Framroze Ardeshir Bode, in
1942, accepted the progeny who were born out of wedlock at Vansda, by
Parsi fathers and juddin mothers. He performed the navjote of 77 such
progeny. This act of legitimizing adultery led to brutal controversy
and has left behind a stigma on our community, otherwise respected for
our moral values and ethics. ARZ is promoting such contemptible
actions by drawing attention to the past mistakes. I would like to
point out that instead of identifying the "workers" at our
institutions, and asking irrational questions, the ARZ could ask the
trustees of our religious institutions as to why such acts are
justified and why such workers are permitted to hold jobs which are
sacrosanct? It is not the community that is responsible; it is the
trustees and the management of our religious institutions who have
hired these workers!
Till approximately 20 to 25 years ago, the chasniwalas, khandias and
nasesallars were Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis! If the religiously wrong
practice of employing workers of mixed marriage or other unacceptable,
immoral unions has gained a foothold, is it not time to correct this
mistake? As Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis, is it not our religious duty to
correct a mistake rather than continuing the same persistently? Should
we as a community simply carry on with a mistake, accept sinful acts
and call the continuation of something wrong as "Reviving" our Din and
the Zarathushti Kom? Definitely NOT! No sane person, no person who
talks about "Revival", no person who adheres to even a little bit of
the moral code will ever ask the questions the ARZ is asking, or, will
accept, justify, rationalize sinful acts and instigate others to
follow any acts that are spiritually wrong! The policy of not
accepting intermarriage, not accepting adultery is not "selfish" or
"discriminative" as the ARZ insists! No religion and no righteous
person will accept what the ARZ proposes! The community as a whole
should come to some conclusion as to what we should do with this
dishonorable practice of accepting immoral acts. As Zarathushtis, we
are religiously mandated to rectify a wrong, to correct a mistake and
NOT continue with it! The very meaning of "Patet Pashemani" is to know
a wrong, accept it as wrong and with sincere repentance determine to
correct the wrong and ascertain not to repeat the same mistake!
There are several options before the community to deal with the
situation of the chasniwalas, khandias and nasesallars. Where there is
a will, there is always a way! In all private and public sectors
workers are laid off for valid reasons after they are compensated. As
a community we also have some rules and guidelines and if these are
not met with, we have the right to lay off workers. In the villages
and even within the cities there are many poor
Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis who would be willing to do the work provided
they are adequately provided, as other workers are. There are also
teams of Parsi youth who are willing to volunteer and dedicate their
time and energy to worthy religious causes. The Dadiseth Atash-Behram
was recently renovated from inside by a team of Parsi volunteers. It
took time but they did a very good job! The dakhmas are cleaned by a
team of Parsi volunteers. If we look for workers, we will find them.
If we throw up our hands and maintain that we have to accept only the
intermarried workers, those from Vansda unions and those born of mixed
parentage, we will forever continue a wrong. Can we then call
ourselves a religious community? No! No religion teaches its followers
to continue with wrong deeds. Our BPP trustees, trustees of Agiaries,
Atash-Behrams and other institutions must come up with worthy and
workable solutions.
Definitely, there are NO double standards, as the ARZ maintains. The
ARZ is referring to acts and practices that are morally, socially and
religiously contemptible. It challenges the community to either accept
these sins (intermarriage and adultery), or be branded by them, by the
A"R"Z, as selfish and discriminatory! As a religious community we have
the moral right, the legal authorization and the religious license to
follow our tenets, traditions, rituals as laid down in our holy
scriptures! Like all other religions we also have our birthright to
follow our religion according to our time-tested, established rules,
traditions and rituals. We have the right to restrict entry into our
places of worship, as all religions also have their right to the same
and they exert this right to protect their institutions. What is wrong
if we follow our traditions and exert the right not to accept juddins
within our microscopic community, if we do not accept "sins" and do
not permit any and all to enter our consecrated places of worship?
Have we no rights, moral, or religious? It is important for the ARZ to
realize that we have survived all these centuries without an Empire,
without a country, only because we adhered to our customs, traditions,
rituals and scriptures. We, as a community, are known to have a
universal outlook; yet, when it comes to religion, we have never
compromised but have followed our tenets with faith and dignity! If we
obey our religious tenets, are we discriminating or being selfish?
What kind of logic is this? If the Hindus do not allow intermarrieds
or juddins into their consecrated temples, will the ARZ call them
"discriminatory" and "selfish"? Just try! Will the ARZ give
advertisements in any cosmopolitan media asking/demanding other
religious communities to accept adultery as well as other religiously
defined sins? Just let them try, if they dare!
A word of caution to the ARZ: Do not tamper with our religion! It is
not just a book or a system of democracy or social values invented by
ordinary humans! Our religion is Ahura Mazda's Own Din, Religion, as
affirmed in the Din-no Kalmo! Our religion is Divinely Revealed by
Ahura Mazda Himself to our Paigambar Saheb, Asho Zarathushtra, who was
a Yazad, a Divine Being Himself (as so declared in the Sacred Avesta,
particularly in Ijeshne ha 3 and 7)! Our religion is in charge of Din
Yazad, an Immortal Spiritual Being! This Divine Yazad is guarding our
religion and religious institutions! Instead of destroying faith,
devotion and asking the community to accept sins, try and "Revive" the
lost moral values, the Parsi-panu, the spiritual glory that is
identified with the words, "Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis"! "Revive" our
institutions by setting examples, by correcting the wrong practices
that have crept in and by promoting piety and obedience to religious
rules which are immutable because these are based on Asha, as revealed
by Ahura Mazda to Asho Zarathushtra. Religious rules are not man-made
declarations! By going against our religious tenets, the ARZ members
are destroying their own daena, conscience, where Sarosh resides!
Sarosh Yazad is also the Revealer of our Din! Our soul and religion
are united, joined together! Our soul derives its spiritual sustenance
from Din Yazad, from our Din! Protect and preserve the religion and
religious institutions and you will be protecting your soul by gaining
the guardianship of Sarosh, Din and other Yazads.
Atha jamyad yatha afrinami!
Pervin J. Mistry
August 30, 2007
(end)
