A needless controversy has been raging amongst Parsis for the last 100 years about Zarathushtra’s preaching and conversion. Pseudo scholars and diehard traditionalists have built around themselves a false halo of erudition. They pontificate that their interpretation alone is correct and consign our scriptures to the dustbin of illogicality.
The Parsis of India became a "closed shop” and cocooned themselves into believing in their anthropological purity. This was due to the Arab persecution in Islamic Iran, and the desecration of their fire temples. No such purity exists, nor has it been in existence for over 10,000 years barring the Congo gypsies (numbering 300) and the Great Andamanese (about 15). Later, Parsis faced persecution at the hands of the nawabs of Bharuch and Surat and from Mohammed Begdo.
Many accept that Zarathushtra retained the basic tenets of the original Mazdayasni religion and only reformed it. Regarding conversion, King Vistasp’s acceptance of the faith was a prime example. In Haptan Yasht we pray for the welfare and safe return of the athravans "who go to the distant lands to preach (spread) our religion.” The Gathas are replete with references to the universality of our faith, that it was meant for "all mankind” and candidly support conversion. How could the faith become universal and all-embracing without conversion?
The misguided "purists” are the main cause of our numerical decline in India. In Bombay, 36-38% of Parsis marry out of the community; in Calcutta the number is 80%. Many marry out in south and central Gujarat.
It is a bogey that thousands will convert to our faith and empty our trusts’ coffers and usurp our baugs. In a world of seven billion, not even 1,000 have converted to Zoroastrianism, and those who have, have done so of their own volition because they realize how simple, clean, scientific, eco-friendly, non-violent, philanthropic and progressive our religion is. They are no threat to our religion or trust properties. They should be viewed as a welcome sign of revivalism in Zoroastrianism and a vindication of the ancient truth that ours is a universal, open door religion. B. T. DASTUR