Minorities believe that by keeping a low profile and blending in with the general populace they will not be singled out for untoward or undue attention. They look after their own knowing that others may not make allowances for them. If they feel apprehensive or unwanted, they migrate elsewhere. The young leave for what they believe are better opportunities or greater freedom, the elderly and the infirm remain behind, often perforce, occasionally from choice.
But sometimes circumstances rather than choices determine one’s fate. The war in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other, is a case in point.
Amongst the hapless citizens caught in the conflict are the minuscule Iranian Zoroastrians. US President Donald Trump asked the nine million residents of Tehran to flee the city in anticipation of attacks. But where could so many people go? According to reports, petrol is rationed, the highways exiting the Iranian capital are jammed. Some Zoroastrians have roots in villages near Yazd and have sought shelter there. But there is little most inhabitants can do except await an uncertain future and suffering (see "Forced to flee,” pg 14).
Parsiana contacted numerous Zoroastrians in India and the US to ascertain the fate of our co-religionists in Iran. Many did not respond either because their relatives in Iran feared reprisals from the theocratic regime or because the internet has been shut by the authorities. Zoroastrian associations initially observed a discreet silence fearful of endangering the wellbeing of their dear ones.
When countries are at war, the lines distinguishing communities are blurred. Anybody caught in the conflict is fair game, whether child or adult, man or woman, rich or poor. Drones and missiles don’t distinguish between who they are maiming or killing.
Military sites may be targeted but civilians are invariably collateral damage. But increasingly we see civilian areas also being bombed. The hapless residents of Gaza, herded into small areas and denied food and water are a prime example of the casualties of war. In Ukraine, civilians are under attack by the invading Russian forces.
Is there a court of appeal one can turn to? Arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court are disregarded and even disparaged. The United Nations is sidelined. Only military might holds sway. The technological advances that once enabled a handful of countries to colonize the world still dominate. Morality, right and wrong no longer feature, assuming they ever did. There is no end in sight to the hostilities. Ceasefires are violated. Each new conflagration draws the warring factions further into the abyss. Time, money, weaponry, military personnel are the factors that decide whether one sustains a conflict or settles for a ceasefire. The objects of the warmongers are mainly gaining territory and/or effecting regime change. Human suffering is not a consideration.
The terms minority and majority have no relevance in such a scenario. Among the important criteria for defining a minority is the property they possess, the institutions and businesses they run. When we think of the Parsis in Bombay we think of the housing colonies and Doongerwadi primarily, followed by the fire temples. Shorn of these assets we would have mainly, and importantly, our names, religious garments (sudreh-kusti), language (Parsi Gujarati) and maybe some distinguishing physical characteristics. By denying the right to property to anyone, everyone is disadvantaged.
When designing the cover for this issue the artist distinguished the Zoroastrian family from others by including images of the Asho Farohar and the afarganyu. Otherwise they could be any victimized and hapless citizens. What also helps define us is our co-religionists who rally to our cause.
The North American Zoroastrians hark back to Iran being the cradle where the religion grew. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet has still to issue a statement but the chairman in an interview with a city daily referred amongst other things to the tours conducted for Parsis to Iran to show the ties that still bind the community to the land they forsook over 1,000 years ago.
Finally what holds together any group, majority or minority, are their shared beliefs. But in the present war torn scenario we find that the values democracies once embraced are no longer sacrosanct. In the build up to World War II, a British Prime Minister believed the German leader Adolf Hitler was a man to be trusted. Today the US President views the Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin in a similar light. Victims and the victimizers are interchanged. The despots are now held in high esteem by the super powers. Excuses are made to justify their murderous streaks and land grabbing antics. Flattering egos gains precedence over countering evil. Wanting thanks for doing one’s duty and demanding monetary returns for doing so overrides moral obligations. Truth and righteousness are sacrificed; greed and one-upmanship determine the course of events.
Despite the Israeli and US bombardment of Iran, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains defiant. He claims that Iran dealt a "heavy slap” to the US and that Israel was defeated. "One day it’s about human rights, another day it’s about women’s rights, then it’s about the nuclear issue, then about the missiles,” he noted. But at its core, it has always been about one thing: they want Iran to surrender. And that, he affirmed, was never going to happen.
No one can accurately predict what happens next: whether the ceasefire between Iran and Israel holds, whether intermediaries can restrain all sides or at least prevent an escalation or a widening of the conflict. Only one thing is certain: hostilities will fester and human suffering will continue unabated.