FEZANA JOURNAL FEZANA WINTER ZEMESTAN 1378 AY 3747 ZRE VOL. 23, NO. 4 WINTER/DECEMBER 2009 G WINTER/DECEMBER 2009 JOURNALJODae – Behman – Spendarmad 1378 AY (Fasli) G Amordad – Shehrever – Meher 1379 AY (Shenshai) G Shehrever – Meher – Avan 1379 AY (Kadimi) Also Inside: Parliament oof the World’s Religions, Melbourne Parliamentt oof the World’s Religions:Religions: A shortshort hihistorystory Zarathustiss join in prayers for world peace in Pittsburgh Book revieew:w Thus Spake the Magavvs by Silloo Mehta PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA afezanajournal-winter2009-v15 page1-46.qxp 11/2/2009 5:01 PM Page 1 PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA Vol 23 No 4 Winter / December 2009 Zemestan 1378 AY - 3747 ZRE President Bomi V Patel www.fezana.org Editor in Chief: Dolly Dastoor 2 Editorial [email protected] Technical Assistant: Coomi Gazdar Dolly Dastoor Assistant to Editor Dinyar Patel Consultant Editor: Lylah M. Alphonse, 4ss Coming Event [email protected] Graphic & Layout: Shahrokh Khanizadeh, www.khanizadeh.info Cover design: Feroza Fitch, 5 FEZANA Update [email protected] Publications Chair: Behram Pastakia Columnists: 16 Parliament of the World’s Religions Hoshang Shroff: [email protected] Shazneen Rabadi Gandhi : [email protected] Yezdi Godiwalla [email protected] Behram Panthaki: [email protected] 47 In the News Behram Pastakia: [email protected] Mahrukh Motafram: [email protected] Copy editors: R Mehta, V Canteenwalla 57 Interfaith /Interalia Subscription Managers: Kershaw Khumbatta : [email protected] Arnavaz Sethna: [email protected] Spring 2010 70 North American Mobeds’ Council Priesthood and Scriptures : Zoroastrian Odyssey to Preservation Guest editors Ervads Soli Dastur and Jehan Bagli 74 Personal Profile Summer 2010 The Zarathushti Diaspora Guest Editor Deena Guzder 76 Milestones Photo on cover: 79s Between the Covers s Dae –Behman – Spendarmad 1378 AY (Fasli) Amordad – Shehrever- Meher 1379 AY (Shenshai) Shehrever – Meher – Avan 1379 AY (Kadmi) Cover design Opinions expressed in the FEZANA Journal do not necessarily reflect the views of FEZANA or members of this publication's editorial board. Feroza Fitch of Published at Regal Press, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada FEZANA Journal Vo 23 No 4 ISBN 1068-2376 Lexicongraphics (USPS 021-495) published quarterly by FEZANA 5750 S. Jackson St Hinsdale Il 60521-5109. Periodical postage rate is paid at Oakbrook, IL 60523 and at additional mailing offices. Annual subscription $15 (US) ; $20 (Canada); $30 (surface) and $50 (air) for other countries; details on subscription Form. POSTMASTER: send changes to Fezana Journal, 8787 W. Airport Blvd. Houston, TX 77071 FEZANA JOURNAL – Winter 2009 1 afezanajournal-winter2009-v15 page1-46.qxp 11/2/2009 5:01 PM Page 2 A word from the Editor Dolly Dastoor Steven Rockefeller in Spirit and Nature wrote "In this new ecological age of developing global community and interfaith dialogue, the world religions face what is perhaps the greatest challenge that they have ever encountered. Each is inspired by a unique vision of the divine and has a distinct cultural identity. At the same time each perceives the divine as the source of unity and peace. The Challenge is to preserve their religious and cultural uniqueness without letting it operate as a cause of narrow and divisive sectarianism that contradicts the vision of divine unity and peace” Scientific and technological advancement has allowed us to come together and communicate with a click of a mouse, but we, as human beings still yearn for spiritual and emotional communication with all people, which we seem to have lost in our quest for material advancement. However in the last fifty years there has been a transformation of human thinking and we find ourselves in a world where people and nations who once denied the existence of God and religion are turning to "religion" in their quest to find meaning and hope. The unfortunate part is that religions are not quite ready to face the challenge, because the kind of exclusivist traditional religion on which most of us have The articles in this issue will be of interest to the reader been nurtured is not able to cope with the crying need to understand and appreciate the vibrancy of of humanity for meaning, for a higher spiritual calling, a Zoroastrian studies, internationally, and the need to desire to discover God within themselves and their dialogue, not the merits of one religion over the other world and work out whatever relationship they want, but the interrelatedness of each on the other. which is beyond organized religion. Much has been done in the name of religion, wars have We need to recreate a moral vision for humanity of been fought, people have been massacred. Religion universally accepted moral principles which will make has been much maligned.We now need to wage peace, possible for all religions and all nations to live in peace of mutual respect where cultures of the world can come with people within each religion and between each together and live in global harmony for the welfare of all religion. The awareness that all people belong to the humanity with a commitment to an environment that same family through their common origin and promotes life rather than threatens to extinguish it. destination should lead to a higher universal Inter-religious dialogue, as there undoubtedly will be at responsibility to practice this awareness in our lives the World Parliament, will only be possible when we This is not to imply that we need one religion which respect each other's individuality. Thus, knowledge of unites all religions but rather a paradigm shift in our others in their cultural setting is essential. By thinking of the meaning of what a religion should be to recognizing and accepting social, cultural, and religious ALL people . diversity, by allowing for an exchange of mutual values, In this issue, as we prepare to attend the 2009 and by recognizing the escalating ecological, social, Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, economic and financial problems, humanity ultimately Jesse Palsetia, our Guest editor, has put together a will be led to unity. Only then will a Global Community collection of papers from authors of different religious cognizant of a need for Universal Responsibility will backgrounds, Hindu, Judaic, Christian and Zarathushti prevail showcasing the rich heritage of the Zarathushti religion, and the impact of its collision with the Vedic, Jewish A PEACEFUL 2010 TO ALL and Christian philosophies. 2 FEZANA JOURNAL — Winter 2009 afezanajournal-winter2009-v15 page1-46.qxp 11/2/2009 5:01 PM Page 3 Calendar of Festivals The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Calendar of Festivities September 2009 to March 2010 Prize A Belgian human rights defender François Houtart and a Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi have been awarded a prestigious The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence. They will share the $100,000 prize money and receive the award on 16 November, the International Day for Tolerance The prize created in 1995 on the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Mahatma Gandi through the generosity of writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. The prize is awarded every two years to individuals or institutions for outstanding contributions towards its goals. http://www.un.org/apps/news/stor y.asp?NewsID=32629&Cr=unesc o&Cr1= WHAT DO YOU GIVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING? A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION OF THE FEZANA JOURNAL SURPRISE THEM WITH A UNIQUE GIFT THAT WILL LAST ALL YEAR LONG GIVE TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO THE JOURNAL THAT IS FOR AND ABOUT THEM F=(Fasli), S=(Shenshai), K=(Kadmi) Past issues of The Journal are available to the public, both in print and online through our archives at www.fezana.org. FEZANA JOURNAL — Winter 2009 3 afezanajournal-winter2009-v15 page1-46.qxp 11/2/2009 5:01 PM Page 4 COMING EVENTS DECEMBER 2009, PARLIAMENT JANUARY 2010, PRAVASI OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS BHARATIYA DIVAS (PBD) MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA “Engaging the Diaspora : The Way The 2009 Parliament” Embracing Forward”, January 7- 9, 2010 Difference, Transforming the http://bindia.org/ World” . will be an international inter- religious gathering spanning MARCH 2010, COMMISSION ON seven nights and six days – from THE STATUS OF WOMEN December 3rd to 9th - bringing FIFTY-FOURTH SESSION, together an estimated 8,000 to United Nations Headquarters, New 12,000 persons. Visit: York. (March 1-12, 2010) http://www.cpwr.org/index.html Contact: Afreed Mistry [email protected], Co- Chair FEZANA UN-NGO Committee APRIL 2010, FEZANA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. April 2-4th Sponsored by Ontario Zarathushti DECEMBER 2009, SINGAPORE- Cultural Foundation, (OZCF), CHINA RELIGIOUS ARTIFACTS Oakville AND CULTURAL EXHIBITION. December 16 – 23, 2009 at DECEMBER 2010, FIFTEENTH Suntec, Singapore, organized by NORTH AMERICAN Z Inter-Religious Organization (IRO), CONGRESS, HOUSTON, Contact Rustom M Ghadiali VP “Preserve, Protect and Perfect,” IRO SINGAPORE Hotel Intercontinental, December DECEMBER 2009, 29 to January 1 2011. www.zah.org FIFTH COMING TOGETHER ROUNDTABLE APRIL 2012, FIRST “Connect, Collaborate, Create” ZOROASTRIAN MOBEDS AND December 27th, 2009 at the India SCHOLARS INTERNATIONAL Club, Dubai CONGRESS, Tehran, Iran. December 30th and 31st at Contact: Mobed Firouzgary (for Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai Mobeds) and Dr Farzaneh To submit items for the