I write to you regarding the communal infringement on my freedom and right of worship. I do not know if they do this out of ignorance or petty prejudices. It is vile.
The denial of the most fundamental of all human rights, the right to worship as one chooses, is abhorrent, whether it is done by a political body or a community to preserve a social and cultural heritage. This is adulation of dogma (Seig Heil), and the destruction of our creator and His creations. As members of a humane society and citizens of the world we cannot tell individuals how to live and worship, for worship is a bond between the individual and the creator.
To illustrate the absurdity of this bigotry let us investigate. We define worship as "to love, admire, or respect somebody or something greatly, perhaps excessively or unquestioningly.” Now couple this with the definition of beauty "the combination of qualities that make something pleasing and impressive to look at, listen to, touch, smell or taste.” Both definitions, simple though they be, enrich our lives. They also lead us to ponder the fact that if creation is so beautiful, then how much more beautiful is the thinker and builder of this beauty, Ahura Mazda.
Today some bigots want to prevent me and others from offering a personal thanksgiving to my creator for all this beauty. To do so is an affront at all levels — to our creator, our Prophet, the individual, mankind and society. You may as well deny us the right to exist.
My bond with my creator is personal; His creations fill me with wonderment and gratitude, and no two bit goose-stepping Nazi can deny me my right to worship in our temples as long as I do it with reverence and dignity. I was born a Zarathushti and will remain one till my dying breath. The bigots’ prejudice only poisons our faith and destroys all that is good in thought, word and deed. Neither Zarathushtra nor Ahura Mazda nor the ashois are exclusionary. The bigots know not the harm that they do. H. S. DASTOOR
Stratford, Connecticut, USA
homidastoor@hotmail.com