Letter to Washington Post responding to Anna Cox’s Insulting Zoroast

Friends,
Following is the Letter I wrote to the Washington Post in response to Anna Marie Cox’s insensitive and insulting remarks for Zoroastrianism, on Live Q&A discussion “Balance of Power” with Tucker Carlson on November 9, 2009. See the Washington Post article (which was brought to my attention by Meher Amalsad) at the website address:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/11/06/DI2009110603445.htmlI urge Zarathushtis worldwide to write Letters to the Washington Postprotesting the insensitive and insulting remarks made by Anna Marie Cox.Regards,Maneck Bhujwala———————————————————-Dear Editor,In the discussion “Balance of Power” on 11/9/09, with Tucker Carlson, AnnaMarie Cox shows her ignorance about the world’s oldest montheistic religionfounded by His Holiness Prophet Zarathushtra (meaning “Golden Light”), andhurts the feelings of his followers worldwide. Anna comments that the name Zoroastrianism “sounds scary”. Well, sheshould know that it was the Greek philosophers who studied his teachings,that hellenized his name into “Zoroaster”. So she can blame those Greeks forscaring her. Western scholars have commented (see Encyclopedia Brittanica) that manyconcepts have been borrowed from Zarathushtra’s religion into Judaism,Christianity, Islam and other later religions. The late philosopher Joseph Campbell mentioned in his lectures on EasternReligions (on Public TV) that it was Zarathushtra who originated the conceptof “Rational thinking” and Not the Greek philosophers as wrongly believed. Cyrus the Great who founded the first Persian empire, was a follower ofZarathushtra’s religion, but he allowed his subjects to follow their ownchosen religions. He wrote the oldest known Charter of Human Rights (a copyof his clay cylinder is in the United Nations). His successors and two otherPersian empires after Alexander continued his policy. My answer top Anna’s stupid question “Why aren’t there more crazy peopleZoroastrians” would be “Because there are already many (millions) of crazieslike her belonging to her brand of religion. Anna should consider herself lucky that the followers of Zarathushtra arenot violent, otherwise there would be a Fatwa on her and she would have togo into hiding like Salman Rushdie. On behalf of all Followers of Prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), I ask AnnaMarie Cox to publicy apologize for insulting remarks.Regards,Maneck BhujwalaCo-founder, Zarathushti (Zoroastrian) Associations of Northern & SouthernCalifornia