TZML OPPOSES ANY WZO OFFICIALS STANDING FOR BPP TRUSTEESHIP
Fellow TZML members,
We, the Board and members of TZML (Traditional Zarathushtris Mailing List), wish to reiterate that at the time of the BPP elections, TZML and its many hundreds of Traditional members did NOT support the WZO's Mr. Dinshaw K. Tamboly's candidacy for the BPP elections; primarily because the traditionals are opposed to the policies this man and his foreign-based organization WZO represents.
1. WZO (World Zoroastrian Organization), the foreign-based organisation that Mr. Tambolly heads and controls, has continuously encouraged anti-religious activities (so far as our ancient Zarathushtri religion is concerned) such as interfaith-marriage and conversion, despite being fully well aware that, as per our thousand year old tradition, these are anti-religious.
2. If any WZO official is elected to the BPP, there is a clear Conflict of Interest. A Trustee of the BPP is enjoined to protect and preserve the Trust and Funds/Properties of the Parsi-Zarthushti community that are earmarked for the Parsi-Zarthushti community alone. But, Mr. Tambolly is also unfortunately a Chairman/Official of the WZO that promotes anti-religious practices and feelings and accepts any and all as "Zarthushtis". The policies and aims of the two bodies Mr. Tamboly is a trustee of are diagonally opposite. While he may serve on many boards who are only business orientated, he cannot serve two boards that are religious and have opposite views. The BPP's goal is to promote only Parsi-Zarthushti interests.
3. There seems to be a planned takeover of the BPP by anti-religious interests. At previous BPP elections, the sitting Trustee Mr. Tamboly has promoted only those to become BPP trustees who are "like-minded", who also belong to the WZO and who agree with him in all he proposes. Two such recent trustees elected are Mr. Maneck Engineer and Mr. Burjor Antia. Mr. Antia is also an official of the WZO. After Mr. Tamboly's joining the BPP, within a period of 7 years, almost ALL BPP trustees are now also WZO officials. Many religious and traditional Zarathushtris are alarmed at this which seems to be a planned takeover of our BPP, and then ultimately our religion by the foreign-based WZO.
4. At the time of the Doongerwadi ambroglio, Mr. Tamboly clearly sided with the DDD-AG group who are against our millennia old dakhme-nashini practices and yet, during the elections he stated that he was a "savior" of the doongerwadi and published in the Jam-e, the khandhias/nassesalars' letter of support for his candidacy. This, in spite of the fact that recently, even after the elections, the Federation, and BPP, at the Bardoli Meeting, wanted to do away with the institution of khandhias! The religious and Traditional Zarathushtris are alarmed at this plan of the WZO and its officials to undermine and eventually shutdown our Holy Dakhmas (after gaining control of the BPP), in order to placate the inter-married and liberal members of the WZO who mostly live abroad and who feel themselves to be modern and "advanced", and our Holy Dakhmas to be the "barbaric" past. Such people, who belong to an organization whose members look down on this central tenet of our religion, are not fit to become Trustees of the BPP.
5. Time and again, the traditionalists have raised a voice against the WZO's anti-religious stand and practises. However the one newpaper that is supposed to be the voice of the community carries nothing except those letters that glorify WZO and its officials. The experience in the past few years has been that this newspaper either refuses to print letters from our traditional members or writes vituperative remarks against them, with or without printing their letters.
6. The WZO is encouraging a Muslim Ali Jafrey and his Muslim group to "convert" South Americans (although there is no conversion in our ancient religion) in order that the WZO has one more continent's (South America) support in the proposed World Body. This is very serious in our view since the entire identity of our community and religion is put at risk, due to this policy of the WZO.
7. The TZML therefore stands opposed to ALL persons playing a management role in the WZO entering the BPP. This is why we have opposed Manek Engineer as well. We will continue to oppose the election of any and all WZO officials who seek to enter the BPP.
This letter is placed on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com for the information of real Zarathustris worldwide. It will also be sent at regular intervals to the TZML.
Sincerely,
SD: The Managing Board of the TRADITIONAL ZARATHUSTRIS MAILING LIST (TZML)
Ervad Jal Birdy (USA)
Ervad Adil Govadia (India)
Mrs. Pervin Mistry (Canada)
Mr. Noshir H. Dadrawala (India)
Mr. Sam Billimoria (USA)
Councillor Filly Maravala (UK)
Mr. Khurshed Pastakia (India)
Ms. Zenobia Patel (India)
Mr. Karl Sahukar (India)
Mr. Neville S. Gandhi (Gulf)
Mr. Porus Homi Havewala (Australia)