Very interesting, Umesh! I always thought the Muslim Arabs attacked Persians and their army of 30,000 defeated a much larger (300,000) army of the Sassanians in the battle of Qadisiya.
I thought the Sassanians at that time were Zorastrians. Come to think of it - the Arabs truly had their lands for themselves only for about the first 100 years of Islam. For the most part, their land was a playground for many different players starting with the Greeks and the Persians, then the Mongols, then the Turks and then the Brits and now the Americans. --- umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Rajen-da, > > Glad you like it. Last night I was given a book on > Iran's religions by themother of my classmate who > had > converted to Bahai faith which originated in Iran in > 19th century. She is of Jewish origins but brought > up > in a secular household and had been a muslim before > she became Bahai. My classmate's husband is an > Iranian refugee who fled with hs elder brother and > mother when he was six -in 1984-across the border on > horseback -for 12 hours-sitting behind a smuggler > -into Turkey where they stayed for one year as > refugees and then got permission to come to Canada. > Hismother died ten years later. > > I learnt that Zoroasterians had an uneven > relationship > with Christians who came in later in 42 Ad/CE . > > Some Kings and nobles had been quite strict and even > killed thousands of them but most were tolerant and > Christianity slowly became a major religion in Iran > --till the advent of the Arab muslim warriors who > drove away Buddhists, and others --but allowed Jews > and Christians to remain. Those Zoroasterians who > did > not convert had to flee to India. Crhistians became > high officials under the muslim rule but > proletyzation > was banned and they had tobe extra tax -dhimmi -as > in > Indian Muslim rule - the Zazia tax. > > Later many Christians were forced to convert to > Islam > else leave lucrative posts. Later Mongols kicked the > Muslims in 1200 CE/AD killing the Khalifa of Baghdad > (like that of Suddam Hussein perhaps) and > Christians > came back inpowerful posts and some got the earlier > converts to Islam -killed in large numbers. Butthen > in > 1400 Ce or so the Mongol's king Khan became a muslim > and Musims were back in power-and retribution by > Tamoorlane . So the game went on. > > British govt in 1880s forced Iranian govt to give > preferential treatment to those muslims who > convetred > to Christinaity. The lwas were changed to : those > who > became Christians would be given all the property of > their relatives!! That law was in in place in 1930s. > > Amazing how the religious game was played by the > imperial powers then. What about the Anglican Church > now? > > The book is called " Spirituality in the Land of the > Noble: How Iran shaped the World's religions" by > Richard C. Foltz , 2004 , OneWorld Publications, > Oxford, England > > --- Rajen & Ajanta Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > Thanks > > Umesh > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: umesh sharma > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 7:11 PM > > Subject: [Assam] NYTimes: Zoroastrians Keep the > > Faith, and Keep Dwindling > > > > > > Zoroastrians Keep the Faith, and Keep Dwindling > > By LAURIE GOODSTEIN > > > > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/06/us/06faith.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5087%0A&en=8004858826643eaf&ex=1157774400 > > > > Published: September 6, 2006 > > BURR RIDGE, Ill. - In his day job, Kersey H. > Antia > > is a psychologist who specializes in panic > > disorders. In his private life, Mr. Antia dons a > > long white robe, slips a veil over his face and > goes > > to work as a Zoroastrian priest, performing > rituals > > passed down through a patrilineal chain of priests > > stretching back to ancient Persia. > > > > After a service for the dead in which priests > fed > > sticks of sandalwood and pinches of frankincense > > into a blazing urn, Mr. Antia surveyed the > > Zoroastrian faithful of the Midwest - about 80 > > people in saris, suits and blue jeans. > > "We were once at least 40, 50 million - can you > > imagine?" said Mr. Antia, senior priest at the > fire > > temple here in suburban Chicago. "At one point we > > had reached the pinnacle of glory of the Persian > > Empire and had a beautiful religious philosophy > that > > governed the Persian kings. > > "Where are we now? Completely wiped out," he > said. > > "It pains me to say, in 100 years we won't have > many > > Zoroastrians." > > There is a palpable panic among Zoroastrians > today > > - not only in the United States, but also around > the > > world - that they are fighting the extinction of > > their faith, a monotheistic religion that most > > scholars say is at least 3,000 years old. > > Zoroastrianism predates Christianity and Islam, > > and many historians say it influenced those faiths > > and cross-fertilized Judaism as well, with its > > doctrines of one God, a dualistic universe of good > > and evil and a final day of judgment. > > While Zoroastrians once dominated an area > > stretching from what is now Rome and Greece to > India > > and Russia, their global population has dwindled > to > > 190,000 at most, and perhaps as few as 124,000, > > according to a survey in 2004 by Fezana Journal, > > published quarterly by the Federation of > Zoroastrian > > Associations of North America. The number is > > imprecise because of wildly diverging counts in > > Iran, once known as Persia - the incubator of the > > faith. > > "Survival has become a community obsession," > said > > Dina McIntyre, an Indian-American lawyer in > > Chesapeake, Va., who has written and lectured > widely > > on her religion. > > The Zoroastrians' mobility and adaptability has > > contributed to their demographic crisis. They > > assimilate and intermarry, virtually disappearing > > into their adopted cultures. And since the faith > > encourages opportunities for women, many > Zoroastrian > > women are working professionals who, like many > other > > professional women, have few children or none. > > Despite their shrinking numbers, Zoroastrians - > > who follow the Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster in > > Greek) - are divided over whether to accept > > intermarried families and converts and what > defines > > a Zoroastrian. An effort to create a global > > organizing body fell apart two years ago after > some > > priests accused the organizers of embracing "fake > > converts" and diluting traditions. > > "They feel that the religion is not universal > and > > is ethnic in nature, and that it should be kept > > within the tribe," said Jehan Bagli, a retired > > chemist in Toronto who is a priest, or mobed, and > > president of the North American Mobed Council, > which > > includes about 100 priests. "This is a tendency > that > > to me sometimes appears suicidal. And they are > > prepared to make that sacrifice." > > In South Africa, the last Zoroastrian priest > > recently died, and there is no one left to > officiate > > at ceremonies, said Rohinton Rivetna, a > Zoroastrian > > leader in Chicago who, with his wife, Roshan, was > a > > principal mover behind the failed effort to > organize > > a global body. But they have not given up. > > "We have to be working together if we are going > to > > survive," Mr. Rivetna said. > > Although the collective picture is bleak, most > > individual Zoroastrians appear to be thriving. > They > > are well-educated and well-traveled professionals, > > earning incomes that place them in the middle and > > upper classes of the countries where they or their > > families settled after leaving their homelands in > > Iran and India. About 11,000 Zoroastrians live in > > the United States, 6,000 in Canada, 5,000 in > > England, 2,700 in Australia and 2,200 in the > Persian > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
