During the past several months Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees and members of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) have been conducting a media campaign issuing false propaganda through their paid advertisements to deliberately besmirch the good name and globally recognized reputation of the All India Shah Behram Baug Society and our president Dr Meher Master-Moos.
As a governing body member of the Society (for scientific and educational research) which is one of the petitioners in the constitutional writ petition filed in the Bombay High Court against BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta and others, I refrain from making any observations since the matter is sub judice. However, it is necessary to set the record right by clarifying the following:
The BPP chairman is confusing the public by using the word "conversion” to arouse emotions against the petitioners. This writ petition has nothing to do with "conversion” of any person to the Zoroastrian religion in India. The wrong word has been deliberately used to create a smokescreen to cover their wrongful violent conduct on February 19, 2010 in Sanjan.
During the past 25 years since the Society and Zoroastrian College have been established, not a single person of any other religion in India has been "converted” to Zoroastrianism by performing a navjote. Our policy is to follow the middle path of interfaith peace and respect for all faiths for which the president has been honored globally.
The educational work done by our institutions outside India relates to the revival of knowledge of the ancient Zarathushtrian Avestan teachings mainly among the people of former USSR republics. It has nothing whatever to do with the race of people called "Parsis” in India.
As recently as 2010 the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) headquarters in the UK opened membership to any Zoroastrian person from anywhere in the world, irrespective of race.
As per the Bombay High Court’s judgment in the Petit vs Jeejeebhoy case, the term "Parsi” refers to a race of people living in India, whereas the term "Zoroastrian” refers to a religion which is practiced all over the world.
NARENDRA SHAH
Governing body member, All India Shah Behram Baug Society