Congratulations on calling this one Billy! Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 26, 2017, at 20:35, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical > Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > “Why I risked my life to convert to Zoroastrianism” > Corinne Redfern ("Stylist," July 26, 2017) > Some days, when Duya Ahmed Gadir wakes up, she lies in bed a little longer > than usual. Against the buzz of an air conditioning pump outside her window, > the 27-year-old whispers a quiet mantra – a promise to think good thoughts, > say good words and complete good deeds. She doesn’t do it every day – most of > the time she oversleeps; tumbling out of her room, gulping down a cup of > sweetened tea and flying out the door to the library to while away her day > studying English as a hobby. But when she does remember, it calms her. As a > Zoroastrian, this three-pillared promise is her only prayer. > > “I was raised Muslim, but I converted to Zoroastrianism last year,” Duya > explains, sitting cross-legged on a mattress in jeans and scuffed platform > sandals at her home in Kalar, a small city in the autonomous Iraqi region of > Kurdistan, three hours north of Baghdad. > > “I could see how Isis were acting in the name of ‘Islam’. For three years, > they’ve been violently imposing extremist, conservative laws. They’re > marrying girls as young as 10, forcing women to cover their hands and faces > and killing or raping everyone who gets in their way. Three million people > are homeless because of them. I didn’t want anything to do with their version > of Islam any more.” > > As Duya herself accepts, her country’s chequered history and current social > and economic turmoil has led to an interpretation of Islam that the majority > of Muslims wouldn’t recognise as being true to what they practice – a result > of overzealous leaders using religion in the wrong way. On a global level, > this misrepresentation is part of the reason the hashtag #notinmyname has > become so prevalent worldwide. > > Nevertheless, Duya is one of more than 100 Kurdish women who have risked > their lives to officially convert to Zoroastrianism over the past 18 months, > after reading about the inherently feminist, liberal religion on Facebook. > > She tracked down Kurdistan’s only official ‘Atashgah’ (the Zoroastrian centre > of worship) in the city of Sulaymaniyah, 85 miles to the north. Once there, > it seemed like a semi-utopia, to be suddenly surrounded by women of all ages > and backgrounds, wearing long, traditional dresses teamed with bright, spiked > heels. > > “Anyone is welcome here,” explains the religion’s female spiritual leader, > Peerq Ashna Abdulqadr Raza, 47. “It’s a place where women can do and say what > they want. There aren’t many places like that in this country.” > > In search of equality > While local theologists are noting a sudden surge in Zoroastrianism’s > popularity among both men and women (it’s open to all, but does have a strong > female presence in this region due to its focus on gender equality), it’s a > trend they’re attributing to both the Isis-inspired backlash and a growing > awareness of gender politics. > > But the religion itself isn’t new – originating in Persia over 3,500 years > ago, the monotheistic belief system [they worship a single God] predates > Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and is founded on the poetry and songs of a > prophet called Zoroaster. > > Millennia-old scripture purporting to echo his words remains in existence but > it’s studied lightly – unlike many religious groups, Zoroastrians take pride > in updating their faith in accordance with the times. > > “As a result, these days men and women within our community are given equal > authority, counteracting climate change is a priority and the overriding > sentiment is that however you choose to live your life is OK – as long as > you’re not hurting anybody else in the process,” explains academic Farhad > Abdulhamid Mohamad, 72, who has studied Zoroastrianism for 35 years. > > “We don’t believe that there are bad people in the world, only bad actions.” > > “Each week, there are more and more Muslim men and women asking to convert,” > adds Peerq Ashna. “What Isis is doing across Iraq and Syria makes me feel > sick. And we all know that it’s not how the majority of Muslims interpret > their religion. > > “But when your house has been bombed, your daughter kidnapped or your family > massacred, people don’t want to be associated with the thing that supposedly > enabled that. They’re asking questions – and because atheism doesn’t come > naturally to many people here, they’re often finding that Zoroastrianism is > the answer.” > > The pervading oppression certainly informed Duya’s decision to covert. “I > feel like a second-class citizen everywhere I go,” she explains, because of > how Islam is interpreted, regardless of Isis’ influence. > > Even in Kalar – a city heavily protected from Isis – things are bad. Men > refuse to shake her hand, she has to eat in a curtained-off area in > restaurants, and isn’t allowed to leave the house without her parents’ > permission. > > “As a woman, you’re treated like an animal – a donkey to be bought and owned > and beaten by men as they please. I see European and American women on > YouTube and think, ‘You don’t even know how free you are.’” > > Men are also turning up at the Sulaymaniyah Atashgah. After a five-hour drive > from the Iranian border, one Iranian 32-year-old, who wants to remain > anonymous, explains he sought out Zoroastrianism simply because he’s > desperate to date ‘normally’. > > “I just want to be with someone who loves me,” he says. “Not someone who has > been bought for me by my parents.” His friends feel the same way, he adds. > “But they’re too scared to do anything about it.” > > He now visits once every two months for spiritual guidance and reassurance. > He leaves 30 minutes after his arrival, pulling a baseball cap low over his > forehead. Leaving Islam is illegal in Iran. If anyone finds out he was here, > he’ll be imprisoned. > > But even in Kurdistan – a diverse region harbouring Christian and Yazidi > communities – the dangers of converting are terrifying. Earlier this year, an > extremist fatwa was announced declaring anyone leaving Islam could be killed > if they refused to return to their faith after three days. A few weeks later, > Peerq Ashna was shot at by a gang of men as she left her house. She ran back > inside, shaking “with rage, not fear”. > > “I’ve been threatened by the Islamic State so many times now,” she says. “And > just before Ramadan, a group of Salafis [an extremist division of Sunni > Islam] came at me with a knife saying they would throw acid in my face unless > I stopped speaking out about Zoroastrianism and equal rights. The local > government gave me a security guard, but really, what can he do?” > > Duya, too, worries about the repercussions of leaving Islam. “But every day I > feel a little braver,” she says. “I couldn’t bear the alternative any longer. > I only have one life, and I’d rather be shot for trying to live it freely > than carry on living like a prisoner. Just because I was born in Kurdistan > rather than London, people seem to think it’s OK that I should have less > rights and opportunities.” > > Before finding Zoroastrianism, Duya constantly thought about killing herself. > She did consider atheism as an option, but she likes to believe in a higher > power. It stops her from feeling completely alone. > > It was this desperation which, 18 months ago, drove Duya to sneak out of her > family home at dawn and travel to Sulaymaniyah. Standing in the Atashgah > before a shrine of lanterns and cellophane flames (representing God’s light), > she repeated an oath promising to save the environment, protect all animals > and remain careful of her actions. A gold scarf was wrapped around her waist > and ceremoniously knotted three times at the back. Apricots were served from > silver trays, and a man tapped a rhythm on a hand-painted drum. > > The whole thing lasted 15 minutes but for Duya, it was life-changing. “I felt > reborn,” she remembers. “Like I was finally free to do whatever I wanted to > do – and nobody could stop me just because I was born a girl.” > > But after returning home that night, the glow quickly wore off. “Converting > doesn’t solve everything. I still can’t get a job, or rent a flat, or go to a > cafe with my friends. I’m 27 but I’m still forced socially and financially to > live at home and abide by my family’s rules. > > “Even though I know my rights, I can’t access them without being cut off by > everyone I care about. The only thing that’s different is now I have a > network of other women who feel the same way.” > > Peerq Ashna was the first Kurdish woman to publicly participate in the > conversion ceremony in 2015. Skip forward two years, and Ashna makes a point > of supporting younger women like Duya – establishing a sisterhood, making > herself available over social media day and night for when the cultural > oppression feels too much. > > And she’s implementing her own feminist changes too: during conversion > ceremonies, she asks new members to recite both their father’s and mother’s > names now. > > Changing religion > It’s support like Ashna’s that gave Duya the strength to tell her parents. “I > was so scared about telling my family I’d converted,” she says. “My mother > taught me and my six sisters to wear the hijab, and pray five times a day. > Ramadan was this big family affair. > > “When it came to admitting I didn’t want to do that any more, I just didn’t > want to see the disappointment on her face.” > > In the end, urgency forced her hand. Entering her late 20s meant her parents > might arrange a marriage for her any day, and ‘coming out’ as Zoroastrian was > a means of preventing that. > > “All my friends are married now – every single one. But I believe you should > live with someone beforehand, otherwise you’ll never know how well suited you > are. In Islam, that’s not allowed – but Zoroastrians say that nothing is > forbidden.” > > When she did tell her parents she’d left Islam, they were angry, forbidding > her to leave the house alone. “But they can’t make me fast and they can’t > make me pray,” she says. “I’m a prisoner but at least I’m free to believe > what I want.” > > But Duya’s desire to live freely is placing her in danger. Even in Kalar, > Isis extremists often slip past the army checkpoints designed to keep them at > bay. But in a society where women are raised to cover their faces and stay > inside, Duya says she and her Zoroastrian friends are sick of going unseen. > > Shiny Faravahar emblems swing from their necks – medals of honour in the > shape of a three-winged man, representing the three Zoroastrian tenets of > good thoughts, words and deeds. The gold-plated equivalent of a secret > handshake, their jewellery enables them to identify other Zoroastrians; to > exchange a nod or knowing smile. > > Both Duya and Ashna speak out on social media because of their passionate > belief of free speech and religious freedom, amassing a feminist following of > thousands – Ashna over Snapchat, Duya hosting Facebook Live Q&As she > broadcasts from her bedroom to 18,000 people at a time. Although she doesn’t > know how to respond to the torrent of abuse that inevitably follows. > > “I tell myself I don’t care, but sometimes it hurts me,” says Duya. “I have > to remind myself that living a lie would hurt too. It is scary to think > everyone knows who I am, and that so many people seem to hate what I’m > saying. But I’m not frightened any more. > > “I just want to tell every woman: be Muslim, be Christian, be Zoroastrian, > whatever – just know you’re worth the same as any man.” > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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