BOMBAY PARSI PUNCHAYET
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Office of the Trustees of the
PARSI PUNCHAYET FUNDS & PROPERTIES
209, Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001
Ref. No. WZC/1-C1/143
February 2, 2000
Homi M. Davier, &
Dolly Dastoor,
Congress Co-Chair,
8854, Southwest Freeway,
Houston, TX 77074 USA
Dear Mr. Davier and Ms.Dastoor,
We, theTrustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, would like to bring to your notice the position taken over the years, by Dr. Ali Jaffrey, on various aspects of the Zoroastrian religion, the teachings of our revered prophet Spitaman Zarathushtra and on thetraditions and practices of the faith.
We are extremely concerned that a man who: (1) has held our priesthood in contempt; (2) has termed our fire temples as places where women are brought for sensual pleasure of the priests; (3) has sought to denigrate our scriptures as forgeries; (4) has declared Shah Fareydoon to be a "bhang drinker"; and has stated that the Ijashne ceremony enacted to promote the use of drugs, should in any way be permitted to participate or worse, still, be invited to a speaker at the forthcoming Seventh World Congress.
Whilst the freedom of speech is enshrined in most well-meaning democracies, this freedom does not, in our opinion, permit one to hurt the religious sentiments of a large majority of our community. Dr. Jaffrey, over the years, through the media, has denigrated the traditions and practices of the faith; incomprehensible as these traditions may seem to him, from his non-Zoroastrian point of view. In fact, he has sought to gain admittance and credibility within the Zoroastrian fold, which we do accept.
Furthermore, if India and indeed the Bombay Parsi Punchayet have to be connected to the mega event, then we would urge you to promote peace and harmony within the community and not allow a divisive force like Dr. Ali Jaffrey to be welcomed to the Congress. Please bear with us that we have to maintain equitable and cordial relations with the large and active Muslim community in India as well as we have to maintain brotherly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran where thousands of Zoroastrians still reside. In view of Dr. Jaffrey's active proselytizing of Muslims to his brand of Zoroastrianism, we feel very strongly that his presence at our congress will endanger our cordial relations with the Muslim communities both in India and in Iran.
Already his activities appertaining to converting Muslims to Zoroastrianism, had been discussed in the Iranian Majlis some years ago, forcing the Zoroastrian representative to disclaim Dr. Jaffrey's activities outside of Iran. We must remember that our Iranian Zoroastrian co-religionists in Yazd and Kerman are particularly vulnerable as a result of the anti-religious propaganda prompted by people like Dr. Ali Jaffrey, whose agenda, it would seem, is to further his own ends. Can we, as a responsible group of people, endorse or give sanction to Dr. Jaffrey's activities of encouraging dissatisfied Muslims to embrace our faith when our co-religionists continue to live in the Islamic Republic of Iran? Under these circumstances, we would like to state most strongly, that Dr. Jaffrey's presence at the forthcoming Congress is not desirable and it should be debarred from attending the same at all costs.
Please note that I wish to disclaim the letter I signed dated the 10th of December, 1999, in which I supported the candidature of Dr. Ali Jaffrey for an award. In no way, can his achievements be compared to Prof. Mary Boyce or Professor John Hinnels; I did not know of Dr. Jaffrey's activities against the community, then, as I do now. Had I known of his apostasy then, we would not have recommended his name AT ALL.
Moreover, we believe that it is our duty as the elders of the community, to safeguard our heritage from such pernicious onslaughts as well as ensure that our young and not so young, are not exposed to those who choose to discard, maliciously some 3000 years of religious practice and traditions.
May the wisdom of Ahura Mazda prevail to bring unity and harmony amongst all of us for a very successful World Congress as we move into the new millennium. However, should saner council not be heeded, we feel that a large number of Delegates from the Parsi community in India will be reluctant to participate in the forthcoming Congress. Therefore, we, the Punchayet, as the apex body, strongly recommend that to avoid this, Dr. Ali Jaffrey should not be allowed to participate in the Congress.
We look forward to your positive response,
Yours sincerely
[Signature]
(Jamshed N. Guzdar)
President
Bombay Parsi Punchayet
cc. Mr. Framroze Patel,
President, FEZANA
9, South Circle, Woodbridge,
New Jersey,
USA 07096
cc Mr.Khojeste Mistree,
Zoroastran Studies,
K.R. Cama Oriental Institute Building,
136, Bombay Samachar Marg,
MUMBAI 400 023
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LINKS:
To Return to the Relevant Original
Allegation, CLICK
Introduction
& the Gist of "The Plain Reality Behind The Intricate Falsity"
TABLE OF CONTENTS and Their Links
Analysis of the 26-page "Global Protest"