The Parsi community STRONGLY OBJECTS to the MID-DAY newspaper
To:
The Midday Newspaper
Group Editorial Director "Bachi Karkaria" E-mail: bachi@mid-day.com
Chief Editor "Aakar Patel" E-mail: aakar@mid-day.com
Director - Operations "Arindam Mitra" E-mail: arindam@mid-day.com
Reporters E-mail: manoj@mid-day.com, mailbag@mid-day.com
CC: TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com
Midday Directors/Editors,
This protest letter has been cc'ed to the Traditional Zarathushtris mailing list (TZML) which has more than 500 Zarathushtri members worldwide, and will also be placed on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com which is visited by tens of thousands of our community members worldwide.
We are members of the ancient Zarathushri Parsi community, and proud followers of the Mazdayasni Zarathushtri religion which is one of the most ancient traditional religions in the world.
The Parsi community STRONGLY OBJECTS to the deragatory statements about our sacred religion and our High priests that have appeared on page 24 of MID-DAY edition dated March 27, 2003: (emphasis ours)
"Parsi high priests have resolved that they will consider as outside the Zoroastrian fold those children born of one non-Parsi parent. In the earlier sentence, replace the word "Parsi" with "Brahmin" and "Zoroastrian" with "Hindu" to know how BIGOTED and REGRESSIVE this sentiment is."
The Midday writer of these deragatory words seems to be one of those highly Westernized Indians who look down on thousands of years of their own rich heritage and culture, in an effort to appear "modern" and "trendy". Many others would have little respect for a man who has disowned his own roots and despises his own forefathers.
The Midday writer is advised that even the Bhagwad Geeta, a Holy scripture of the Hindus of India, does not allow inter-marriage which it calls as varna-shankara, and speaks of inter-marriage as destroying Dharma (religion). Obviously, the Midday writer would have no qualms in denigrating even his own Hindu Holy scripture, all in the name of being "modern" and "westernized".
We cannot expect such a person to respect any other religion on the face of this earth, but it is very shameful that the Midday has allowed and published such attacks on our esteemed and well-respected Zarathushtri religion.
The Midday writer then attacks the columnist of the Bombay times, Cyrus Merchant, who has rightfully supported the words of the High Priests. The Midday writer says: (emphasis ours)
"A long RANT in the Tuesday edition of Bombay Times actually justified this by saying words to the effect that ancient laws are inviolate. The columnist who wrote this BUNKUM, Cyrus Merchant, has not read Manusmriti or the Qur'an or he wouldn't be a cheerleader asking for their text to be implemented in full."
We do feel that the Midday writer himself writes PURE "BUNKUM", using his own words. However, we like to ask the Midday writer as to what has the Quran got to do with this? Is the Midday writer in his proper mind? Is the Midday encouraging hatred of other religions? Is the Midday writer atttacking other religions as well and trying to encourage rioting and the loss of lives? Why has the Midday writer failed to notice the good things in all the religions, and only noticed what he "thinks" (in his own deluded mind) is bad?
The Midday writer says:
"Religion is a personal matter and Merchant or anybody else should have no right to sit in judgement over who is Parsi or Hindu or Muslim and who is not."
WRONG - religion is NOT a personal matter but the matter of the whole community following that religion. Religion is NOT A CULT, it is revealed by a great Prophet and the rules of the religion are handed down to us by the Prophet. In our case we have seven great Pillars that are the foundation of our religion:
1. Asha (Righteousness)
2. Atarsh (holy Fire)
3. Boonak Pasbani (preservation of the "seed"; purity of race)
4. Dokhmenashini (disposal of the dead through exposure)
5. Kriyakam (spiritual therapy of rituals and ceremonials)
6. Maanthravani (sacred vibratory prayers)
7. Sudreh-Kashti (talismanical spiritual instruments)
Boonak Pasbani implies that no inter-marriage of any kind is allowed, in the effort to preserve our seed. Concurrently we also pay homage to the righteous men and women of every race on the seven continents, as is mentioned in the scriptures.
Only members who firmly believe in these Seven Pillars can call themselves a Mazdayasni Zarathushtri.
The Pillars of our Religion are neither up for debate nor are we authorized to tamper with them. Only a Raenidar (A great Zoroastrian Saviour accepted as such by the Zoroastrian religion) can do this. The last Raenidar was Dasturji Aderbad Mahrespand during the reign of Shapur II (309-379 A. D.) in Zoroastrian Iran. The coming Raenidar is Shah Behram Varzavand who is yet to declare himself.
These religious laws are in place to protect the religion, and the High Priests are the custodians of the religion therefore they have the moral right and the moral authority to REINFORCE the laws. The High Priests have done their duty, and we salute them. Merchant is a brave defender of the High Priests, and we salute him.
The Midday writer says:
"denial of freedom of religion"
We ask the Midday writer to make sure he understands what is really meant by "Freedom of religion". It means EVERY RELIGION HAS THE RIGHT TO FOLLOW ITS OWN RELIGIOUS LAWS AS REVEALED BY THE PROPHET.
It does not mean people belonging to the religion have the right to do as they please, otherwise there would be no religions on this earth. Everyone would follow their own version of right or wrong, and society would descend into immoral chaos where DHARMA - the rules of right and wrong - would be followed by no one.
The Midday writer says:
"The earlier Parsi tradition was to be tolerant towards those marriages where Parsi men married non-Parsi women. Children of these marriages would also be considered Parsis by the community."
WRONG - This was not a tradition. It was an ABERRATION which started in the early 20th century, due to rich Westernized Parsis who had married white women. The writer ignores thousands of years of tradition before that, in which all inter-marriage was strictly prohibited by the ancient Persians (our forefathers) as well as by the Parsi forefathers who came to India.
The Midday writer says:
"the resolution.. is regressive from that stand"
In fact, the current resolution of the High Priests brings back the ORIGINAL tradition and is FULLY SUPPORTED by the Holy scriptures of the Zoroastrians. See below for the links to scriptural references.
The Midday writer says:
"in keeping with a general hardening in matters of faith across all of India's religions."
The Midday writer should understand that the hardening of religious rules is due to the increase of lax "phoren" values in India, and the unfortunate proliferation of "modern" individuals such as himself who think nothing of launching ugly attacks on great ancient sacred religions which all bring man closer to God. Man cannot make spiritual progress without rules, there are rules in every religion.
The Midday writer has viciously attacked three great religions of India in his writing: our religion of Zoroastriansim, the Hindu religion, and the Islamic religion. In the past, such religion-baiters as the Midday writer were despised by the general public as irreligious and despicable. True writers in the past respected all religions and never spoke ill of any religion, for they could understand the rules and why rules were necessary for different societies.
The Midday writer says:
"this prejudiced, narrow and medieval sentiment"
We take grievious offence at this. The Midday writer is advised NOT TO INSULT the religious feelings of thousands of Zarathushtris worldwide by such deragatory statements.
WE ZARATHUSHTRIS STAND BEHIND OUR HIGH PRIESTS AND FULLY SUPPORT THEIR RESOLUTION PROHIBITING INTER-MARRIAGE.
WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE APOLOGY FROM THE MIDDAY EDITOR TO THE ENTIRE ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY FOR SUCH VIRULENT ATTACKS ON OUR HIGH PRIESTS AND OUR SACRED RELIGION.
The error in the Midday writer's statement is evident and to understand where in the extant Avesta the sin of intermarriage has been clearly prohibited, the following articles on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com will provide the information :
PAK VENDIDAD ON MIXED MARRIAGES BY RONI K. KHAN
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~zarathus/inter4.html
THE HŪSPĀRAM NASK'S PROHIBITION ON MIXED MARRIAGES BY RONI K. KHAN
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~zarathus/husparam.html
Intermarriage is a Deadly Sin for the Zarathushtris, as per a great
Zarathushtri sage
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~zarathus/inter1.html
DOES THE "FREEDOM OF CHOICE" APPLY TO INTERMARRIAGE?
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~zarathus/youth33a.html
In the words of one of our mailing list members:
"This is not the FIRST TIME that MID-DAY has ATTACKED zoroastrianism and the firm beliefs of Traditional Zoroastrians. SHAME ON THE MIDDAY AND ITS ENTIRE EDITORIAL BOARD."
In the words of another:
"All true Zarthushtis welcome the High Priest resolution and stand behind our Vada Dasturjis. MIDDAY has to learn to move out of other religions' affairs and learn to respect the resolutions passed by the persons, Vada Dasturjis, who are in charge of preserving and maintaining our religion and its beliefs! From his opening comments, it becomes obvious that the Midday writer is anti-Brahmin as well. If he is unfaithful to his own Spiritual Mother, i.e. Hinduism, should we expect him to be respectful to any other? That just because times are bad and crime is on the increase, will he advise in the Mid-Day that anyone who opposses crime and criminals must be chastised? He is NOT a Zarthushti and should mind his own business IF HE IS A GOOD REPORTER!"
"The Midday needs to be briefed about the court decisions the writer is referring to in para 2. What Justices Davar and Beaman "opined" at the beginning of this century (of accepting progeny of male Zarthuhsti) was an Obitor Dictum. An obitor dictum is a sort of 'suggestion'. It need NOT be abided. A court judgement has to be abided."
"The Midday writer should first find out the truth about community matters of an alien faith to which he does not belong to and therefore has no first hand knowledge of! The Midday writer needs to know his facts first. Also, let us remind him that we, as a community, never interfere with the religion of others! We, as a community, have a right to follow our High Priests but outsiders are definitely eliminated, as a courtesy, to our internal religious affairs!"
This protest letter has been cc'ed to the Traditional Zarathushtris mailing list (TZML) which has more than 500 Zarathushtri members worldwide, and will also be placed on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com which is visited by tens of thousands of Zoroastrians worldwide.
We will expect an apology to be published soon by the Midday.
Porus Homi Havewala,
Co-Administrator,
Traditional Zarathushris Mailing List (TZML).