OFFICIAL PROTEST to Sun Microsystems about the liberal mailing list

We are VERY UPSET that the computer facilities in an international company like "Sun Microsystems" are being used to launch such attacks on a great ancient religion like Zoroastrianism, and upset the feelings of its followers.


To:

Loraine Golden
Public Relations Manager
Sun Microcomputers.

Dear Madam,

I have been given to undertand that you are the Public Relations Manager for Sun Microsystems.

I wish to register a formal protest on behalf of 559 of my fellow co-religionists, and 30 ladies in TWO separate signed Petitions, against a Mailing list named after our ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, started on one of your company computers by Mr. Mehrdad K., one of your Sun engineers in the USA. The mailing list is called the "Zoroastrians mailing list" and the internet address is "zoroastrians@least.eng.sun.com" where "zoroastrians" stands for our religion, "eng" stands for Engineering, and "sun.com" stands for your company.

Mehrdad's "Zoroastrians" mailing list carries 750+ members and has been in operation on your company computer for over 6 years. During that time, it has been used as a medium of attack on our ancient religion, Zoroastrianism, one of the world's earliest and loftiest religions. Such attacks have seriously upset the religious feelings of a large number of Zoroastrians who are resident in India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, and the USA itself.

To cite a few examples:

1. Meher Yazad is one of the Divinities or Yazads in our Zoroastrian religion and has a large prayer, the "Meher Yasht" or hymn, dedicated to him. Thousands of Zoroastrians pray this hymn to Meher Yazad daily in our fire temples. This hymn is thousands of years old.

In Mehrdad's mailing list, operational on your company's computer, the following words were written about the divinity Meher Yazad by a Muslim member of the list known as ali akbar:

"Ousted, only to SNEAK back".

In other words, a divinity of the Zoroastrian religion was maligned by being called a "sneak" by a Muslim person in a "Zoroastrian" mailing list run on a Sun company computer by a Sun engineer.

2. The Hormuzd Yasht is a very sacred hymn in our religion that contains the Avestan names of God in our religion. It is prayed by thousands of Zoroastrians daily in our fire temples around the world.

In Mehrdad's mailing list, operational on your company's computer, the Hormuzd Yasht was declared to be a FORGERY by the muslim member ali akbar.

In other words, one of the holiest scriptures of the Zoroastrian religion was demeaned by being called a "forgery" by a Muslim person in a "Zoroastrian" mailing list run on a Sun company computer by a Sun engineer.

3. Our fire temples in India, Pakistan and Iran are sanctified places where our Zoroastrians gather and pray the ancient hymns, before the sacred fire. Our priests, dressed in white tend the sacred fire with their mounths covered by a white muslin cloth. The fire temple is the major place of worship in our religion where our most powerful sacred ceremonies and rituals are performed, which we believe carry immense spiritual power.

In Mehrdad's mailing list, operational on your company's computer, the Muslim ali akbar declared that PROSTITUTES were used to sexually satisfy our Holy Priests in our sacred Fire Temples in the past.

In other words, both the Holy Fire Temples and the Holy Priests of the Zoroastrian religion were grossly insulted by a Muslim person in a "Zoroastrian" mailing list run on a Sun company computer by a Sun engineer.

The Zoroastrians number more than 100,000 around the world and are highly respected in India, Pakistan, Iran and throughout the world for their honesty, enterprenual abilities and charities. Although a number of Zoroastrians have objected to your company's engineer Mehrdad about such gross attacks on our religion on your company's computer, Mehrdad has refused to take any action against ali akbar, who is a family friend of his.

We are VERY UPSET that the computer facilities in an international company like "Sun Microsystems" are being used to launch such attacks on a great ancient religion like Zoroastrianism, and upset the feelings of its followers.

Here are more events that have taken place on Mehrdad's "Zoroastrian" mailing list since the past 4 years, run on one of your company's in-house computers:

The Holy Vendidad or Vi-daevo-dat is one of our holiest Avestan scriptures with the strict rules and commandments of our religion. The scripture is also prayed in its entirety in a long holy ritual held in our fire temples. This scripture has been attacked mercilessly in Meherdad's "Zoroastrian" mailing list.

Wrong translations were ascribed to the Holy Vendidad showing our priests as holding horse whips and whipping the sinners, an untrue picture based on outdated translations. This holy book was then ridiculed and derided as "BULL-SHIT" in Mehrdad's Zoroastrian mailing list, simply because it contains moral rules and injuctions against inter-marriage that are anathema to the modern inter-married "liberals", and to the non-Zoroastrians.

A "Zoroastrians homosexual" club was formed and advertised in Mehrdad's mailing list, ignoring the Vendidad which condemns homosexuality as the worst sin possible, for which there is no atonement.

Zarathushtra is our Holy Prophet. The greatest Athravan (fire-priest), Zarathushtra Himself, who prayed the Holy Mathravani (verses of prayer) and performed endless holy rituals before the Holy Fire, was attacked by ali akbar as "not an Athravan, not a Prophet".

Recently, the Vendidad was again attacked ruthlessly as "not sacred" and an UNZOROASTRIAN scripture written by non-Zoroastrians, by the Muslim ali akbar.

All this on Mehrdad's Zoroastrian mailing list, run by a Sun company engineer on a Sun company computer.

The list of heresy is endless, shocking, and shameful. Little wonder than, that *real* Zoroastrians are shocked and angry. Who can blame them?

Many letters from Parsi Zoroastrians have been published in the Jam-e-Jamshed newspaper of Bombay, India, deriding the actions of the "liberals" and the outsiders in Mehrdad's "Zoroastrian" mailing list.

I have received a PETITION from Bombay, signed by more than 30 Parsi Zoroastrians of Bombay. The petition reads as follows:

"WE PARSI ZOROASTRIAN LADIES OF BANDRA, FEEL AFTER READING YOUR ARTICLE IN THE JAM-E-JAMSHED WEEKLY OF 8TH OCTOBER - ABOUT THE JEWISH LADY AND HER MUSLIM MENTOR, DESECRATING OUR HOLY VENDIDAD. IT IS BLASPHEMY AND WE CONDEMN SUCH UTTERANCES.

"WE THE MOST PEACE LOVING AND MOST VENERATED COMMUNITY ARE DEEPLY HURT AND GRIEVED BY SUCH UTTERANCES.

"BEFORE INTERFERING IN OTHER RELIGIONS, TO LOOK INTO THEIR OWN FAITH AND BE GUIDED RIGHTLY IS OUR ADVICE TO THEM."

This letter is a protest against the actiivties of the liberals and outsiders in Mehrdad's "Zoroastrian" mailing list. Not so long ago, a Jewish lady member posted wrong translations of the Vendidad and gave a barbaric impression of our Holy Dasturjis "whipping Zoroastrians for night emissions". Since then other scholars pointed out that she was using outdated translations, and her main purpose was to SCORN the Vendidad, as indeed is the purpose of all "liberals" and outsiders. Next, an Irani youth, easily misled by the outsiders called the Vendidad as "bull-shit" and asked the Zoroastrians to worship "holy shit" as well as "holy bull's urine." ALL IN THIS MAILING LIST RUN BY A SUN ENGINEER MEHRDAD ON ONE OF THE SUN COMPUTERS OWNED BY YOUR COMPANY.

Next, a "Zoroastrians homosexual" club was announced, committing blasphemy by linking the name of our great Prophet to this abomination of homosexuality, quite clearly called the *worst* sin in our scriptures. Next, the Muslim ali akbar committed blasphemy against the sacred Hormuzd Yasht by deriding it as a work of "forgery". He then suggested that Zoroastrian temples had prostitutes performing the "sacred" act of sex with the priests. This was the height of blasphemy and perversion shown by the outsider against our pure Zarathushtri faith.

The following also happened in Mehrdad's "Zoroastrians" mailing list:

Excreta has been called "holy" and compared to our sacred "Taro and Nirang" by a liberal, the latter are sacred liquids in our religion used in all holy ceremonies.

Our Atash Behram (holiest) Fires were attacked by the same liberal as "no different than a match stick fire".

A liberal Zoroastrian couple openly announced that licentious sex between "consenting adults" was okay.

A High Priest of an Atash Behram (holiest fire temple) in India was savagely maligned by an inter-married liberal.

Another liberal who has inter-married a non-Zoroastrian, wrote a dirty pornographic poem about a traditional Parsi mother, just because the traditional lady had written that we should not inter-marry so as to preserve our ethnic identity and religion. The lady's family was very upset at this attack on her name in Mehrdad's mailing list.

A European Christian insulted the religious Parsis of India as "spoiled Bombay brats" and "Hinduized", simply because they refused to convert him into their religion.

All this happened in this unhappy mailing list of Mehrdad, run by a Sun engineer on a Sun company owned computer.

I have received the folllowing PETITION OF PROTEST from Bombay, India, along with the signed signatures of 559 (five hundred and fifty nine) Parsi and Irani Zarathushtris, male and female from Bombay. I place it here for your perusal. The petition is now also placed on the World Wide Web on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com for all to see.

PETITION OF PROTEST

AS RELIGIOUS PARSI-IRANI ZOROASTRIANS FROM BOMBAY, WE THE UNDERSIGNED PROTEST THE HERETICAL VIEWS AND BLASPHEMOUS WRITINGS OFTEN TO BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET'S ZOROASTRIAN MAILING LIST. SOME MISGUIDED ZOROASTRIANS AND MEDDLING OUTSIDERS ROAM UNCHECKED ON THIS MAILING LIST, AND SLANDER OUR LOFTY PRAYERS, SCRIPTURES, PRINCIPLES AND PRACTISES THROUGH IGNORANCE, SELF INTEREST, OR DESIGN.

ALMOST NOTHING THAT IS SACRED TO US, INCLUDING OUR HOLY FIRES AND TEMPLES, HAS BEEN SPARED FROM CHEAP ATTACK AND RIDICULE. EVEN THE HALLOWED NAME OF OUR PROPHET HAS BEEN DESECRATED FOR THE ENDORSEMENT OF HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM, AND BI-SEXUALITY. IF SUCH SACRILEGES CONTINUE, THIS MAILING LIST SHOULD BE CLOSED DOWN OR AT LEAST THE NOBLE TERM "ZOROASTRIAN" SHOULD BE STRUCK OUT FROM ITS NAME.

AS THE INTERNET BECOMES MORE DISCIPLINED, AND CONTROLLED, WE MAY HAVE TO TAKE ALL THIS UP WITH THE AUTHORITIES CONCERNED. INSULTING A GREAT LIVING RELIGION AND WOUNDING THE FEELINGS OF ITS THOUSANDS OF FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS WORLD WIDE IS A VERY GRAVE MATTER INDEED.

--- signed by 559 distinct Parsi/Irani Zarathushtris on Eight separate pages.

Bombay, 16th August 1996.


The covering letter is addressed to me and says:

We, the undersigned, very much appreciate the single-handed crusade you have been carrying on since some time past against the vicious and blasphemous attacks being made against our exalted Daena and its principles and practises on the Internet's Zoroastrian mailing list by some of our misguided co-religionists and meddling outsiders residing in the Western countries led by the self-styled "Ratu I" (!)

This calumnious campaign has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of most of the Zoroastrians of Bombay. As a humble token of our co-operation with you in the noble work you are carrying on, we have started a signature campaign and have succeeded in obtaining signatures of 559 religious Parsi and Irani Zoroastrians residing in Bombay on the Petition of Protest which we enclose herewith. This is for your kind attention. Be pleased to place it on the Zoroastrian Alias (Zoroastrian mailing list of the Internet) if you so desire.

May the Lord Ahura Mazda and His beloved Prophet Asho Zarathushtra bless and guide you in your noble endeavour always. Atha Jamyat Yatha Afrinami!

With warm regards and best wishes,

Zarathushtri Elders.


Fellow Zarathushtris, this is a tremendous demonstration of solidarity by the Parsi/Irani Zarathushtris of Bombay, who have stood up as ONE for the religion. I humbly bow my head to these people, on whose shoulders the religion is supported. While there are men and women such as these in our motherland India, with so much faith and pride in their religion, our religion will successfully oppose and defeat all that modern liberalism has to throw against it. This is the stock of the Kayani Kings - and love for our religion beats in our breasts, and will never die down, passing on to our sons and daughters down the ages.

I salute these people, who have dared to stand up to the forces of moneyed liberalism afoot in the modern world, for the sake of their precious mother - the Mazdayasni Zarathushtri Daena. I salute these stalwarts. Let their voice make the religion-baiting liberals tremble in their ivory towers, for it is the voice of Righteousness.


I now ask Sun microcomputers to HEED these two petitions sent by 559 and 30 people respectively, and take the necessary action against their Sun engineer Mehrdad K. and his "Zoroastrians" mailing list, which has caused and is still causing untold harm to our religion and our feelings.

This official protest to Sun Microsystems is now prominently placed on the Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page at http://www.ParsiZoroastrianism.com for all to see. The Traditional Zoroastrianism Home page has been visited by tens of thousands of visitors, and more are coming.


Postscript:

To demonstrate the high status the Zoroastrian people enjoy over the world, here is an article about a recent resolution by a US Senator about our Zoroastrian community.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE NAVROZE FUNCTION CELEBRATED BY NEARLY 300 persons in the Los Angeles area was the "Resolution" by the U.S. Senator, The Hon John R. Lewis of the State of California. This resolution was achieved largely through the efforts of Los Angeles resident Sam Billimoria, and the support of U.S. congressman, The HON ED ROYCE who has stated in a letter: "I am personally very familiar with the history of the Zoroastrian people. It is a remarkably rich and compelling saga spanning at least over three millenia which has left an indelible mark and influence on the history of Western civilization. The thousands of Zoroastrian people who now call the United States their home have much to proud and thankful for."

RESOLUTION ZOROASTRIAN NEW YEAR

WHEREAS, members of the Zoroastrian community, both from Iran and India have come to the United States and established roots in tis country; and

Wheareas the Zoroastrian community now shares in the continuing renewal of American culture, and contributes to its further development and sustainment: and

Whereas the Zoroastrian community is from an ancient culture of the Near East, one which had a considerable influence, though little recognized, influence on the development of Wesstern culture and religious ideas, including of philosophy and theology especially during the height of the Persian Empire: and

Whereas, This influence though originating some 2,500 years ago , is still existant in numerous institutions and belief systems held dear by Americans: and

Whereas, the Zoroastrian community will celebrate its New Year Tradition on Saturday, March 21 1998, now therefore be it

Resolved by Senator JOHN R. LEWIS, THAT he recognizes and commends the Zoroastrian community for its history of notable achievements and contributions to Western Civilization, takes pleasure in commemorating the celebration of the Zoroastrian New Year on March 21, 1998 and extends to the Zoroastrian community the sincere best wishes of the California public.

Sd. Honorable

John R. Lewis

33rd Senatorial District.


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