The Great Danger of the Un-Zarthushti World Body
Dear Traditional Zarathushtri Members of the TZML,
This is an important announcement from the managing board of the TZML.
There is a grave danger facing our community. The formation of a World Body of Zarthushtis is in the makings and we need to be made aware of a few facts that directly concern us and our survival as a religious community. So far, the community is in the DARK, therefore we wish all Zarthushtis to know what this proposed World Body stands for.
· The WZO, FEZANA, FOPZAI, ZTFE, and other interested parties are joining hands to form a single united World Body of Zarthushtis.
· The definition of a "Zarthushti" as accepted by these Organizations and Federations is "any one who follows the teachings of the religion and professes to believe in good thoughts, words and deeds."
· While it is very desirable to unite all true Zarthushtis around the World under one umbrella, it can only be beneficial if such an umbrella body is set up to protect and preserve the religion and religious institutions as well as traditions, rituals and scriptures of the Parsi-Irani Zarthushtis! By accepting all and any as "Zarthushtis", such a body is suicidal considering our microscopic numbers.
· These Organizations and Federations may have a free-wheeling definition of a "Zarthushti" to suit their own agendas, but the genuine Zarthushtis around the globe desire to practice their Religion as has been followed for millennia without accepting the religiously forbidden practices of conversion and acceptance. We also wish to preserve our religious institutions from entry by juddins, converts, intermarrieds, etc. We are the true heirs to the Mazdayasni Zarthushti religion and we wish the intruders to leave us in peace.
· It is a matter of grave consequences if the BPP were to join such a Body. The BPP is not an organization, nor a federation that can accept individual membership. The BPP is set up as a trust to protect and preserve the funds, properties and religious institutions that our sagacious and philanthropic ancestors have earmarked for the sole use of Parsi-Zarthushtis alone! If the BPP joins this World Body, the BPP too will have to permit entrance to juddins, ‘converts’ and their non-Zarthushti descendants into our sacred places of worship. They will even have to allow ‘converts’ and juddins to be consigned at our sacred dakhmas.
· The BPP may maintain that it intends to follow its own constitution in India. However, in an age of freedom and rights how will it follow its own constitution and prevent non/neo-Zarthushtis from demanding their “rights” to enter agiaries, atash behrams, etc., if the World Body accepts these intruders as full “Zarthushtis”? The BPP will be in a minority on this World Body and will be swamped over by all those liberal/neo-Zarthushti groups, thereby losing its status as the apex body of the Zarthushtis. Over time, its independence will ultimately affect the status of our agiaries and atash-behrams, throwing OPEN their doors to all non/neo-Zarthushtis.
· The BPP is compelled to join the World Body because several of the BPP trustees wear more than just one hat. Apart from BPP, they also belong to other organizations and federations, such as the WZO and FOPZAI, whose constitutions are at variance as to the definition of a "Zarthushti" from that which the BPP is mandated to observe. This is creating a serious breach of trust and a conflict of interest on part of the BPP trustees.
· The BPP is already regarded as the Apex Body and its Chairman should speak on behalf of all Zarthushtis provided the Chairman complies with the trust that is bequeathed in his care of preserving and protecting our religion and its institutions without seeking to alter them. Only the Parsi-Zarthushtis can benefit from the funds and properties managed by the BPP.
· In January of this year, the BPP hosted a meeting of all these organizations and federations to unite them and facilitate the formation of this proposed World Body. We also learn from Jam-e-Jamshed, dated June 22nd, 2003 that BPP’s Chairman, Mr Minoo Shroff, has been mandated by FOPZAI, since he is also the President/Chair of FOPZAI, to make this World Body a reality.
· The proposed World Body will have two completely independent arms, the WZOI (World Zoroastrian Organization of Individuals) and the WZOF (World Zoroastrian Organization of Federations). Over and above them, there’ll be another apex Body (IZO - International Zoroastrian Organization), to act as a link between the two independent arms. It is proposed that WZOI will be registered in London whereas WZOF in New York and the IZO, the apex to be registered in India. Each of these three bodies will have their own officials.
· If any ‘convert’, "neo-Zarthushti" such as a Tadjik, juddin or even the Muslim Ali Jafarey wish to join the WZO, they are accepted because they "profess" the faith! Some day these non-Zarthushtis can even become officials of this proposed WZOI as per their acceptance as "Zarthushtis" according to the constitution. Also, ‘converts’ and juddins who are accepted by the Federations can become officials of the WZOF. What hope will our microscopic community have for its survival as these non-Zarthushtis and ‘converts’ will hold high official positions and dictate to us how our religion should be followed and practiced? We are estimated at only about 80,000 to a 100,000 in the whole world. The ‘converts’ and the non-Zarthushtis will out number us in no time and dictate to us what our religion is and how it is to be practised!
· Besides the converts and neo-Zarthushtis joining the WZOI and the WZOF as officials of this World Body, there will be several like-minded Zarthushtis themselves who support and promote the acceptance of these juddins, ‘converts’, etc. as "Zarthushtis"! Hence, it will not be just one or few individual(s) but several World Body officials who will be dictating to us politically and through resolutions as to what our religion should be and how it should be practised. This is where the World Body poses the greatest threat because we have din-dushmans from within our own community who propagate the acceptance of any one who “professes” to follow the Zarthushti Religion.
· This information regarding the proposed World Body is put before you so the community is made aware of what is happening with regard to this proposed World Body, and how our religion is about to be compromised, altered and how all transgressions would be accepted by such a Body. Fellow Zarthushtis, please spread the word about this un-Zarthushti World Body and the role BPP is playing by joining hands in the formation of such a Body. This Body, if implemented, will certainly result in the extermination of our religious community.
· If it is a true Zarthushti World Body, why is the Zarthushti community kept in the dark? Have we, the Zarthushtis, given a mandate to these few mis-guided officials to form such a Body that accepts any and all into our religion as a Zarthushti?
We hope this explanation regarding the "Zarthushti" World Body will be taken
seriously and that all concerned Zarthushtis will stop the BPP trustees from
joining such a Body, directly, or indirectly by being a part of FOPZAI that
accepts ‘converts’ and non-Zarthushtis.
SD: The Managing Board of the TRADITIONAL ZARATHUSTRIS MAILING LIST (TZML)
Ervad Jal Birdy
Ervad Adil Govadia
Mrs. Pervin Mistry
Noshir H. Dadrawala
Sam Billimoria
Mayor Filly Maravala
Khurshed Pastakia
Ms. Zenobia Patel
Karl Sahukar
Neville S. Gandhi
Porus Homi Havewala
This letter will be placed on the Traditionmal Zoroastrianism Home page at
http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com for the information of real Zoroastrian
worldwide.
It will also be resent at regular intervals to the TZML.
This letter has been cc'ed to:
"BPP" E-mail: ppbombay@vsnl.net
"Dinshaw Mehta" E-mail: madbawa@hotmail.com
"Minoo Shroff" E-mail: mrshroffadst@yahoo.com
"Dinshaw Tamboli" E-mail: beedee@vsnl.com
"Dadi Engineer" E-mail: dbe@vsnl.com
"Keki Gandhi (FOPZAI)" E-mail: mtiladmn@del6.vsnl.net.in
"Dasturji Nadirshah Unvala"
"Dasturji Dr Firoz Kotwal"
"Dasturji JamaspAsa"
"Ervad Pervez Bajan"
"Ervad Dr Ramiyar Karanjia"
"Ervad Rooyintan P Peer"
"Ervad Darius Sethna"