Dear Niaz-

 

I am so surprised that no one has responded on this issue yet.   Last year when the Montgomery Public School system put March 21st as a Baha'i New Year they were inundated by our entire Persian community, Zoroastrian and Muslim.  Even the Islamic Embassy from Washington wrote to them.  I do have copies of these e-mails somewhere.

 

The problem I see is that we don't have one central body to respond to such false announcements which, if allowed to go without a response from us, will eventually result in March 21st being known as THE Baha'i New Year ! 

 

I suggest that we not only approach Amnesty International but we approach all World Baha'i institutions and let them know very plainly that March 21st has been the PERSIAN NEW YEAR for over 4000 years and is celebrated  in all the countries that were formerly a part of the Persian Empire. When  The Tajiks or Afghanis celebrate this day they do not call it  a `Muslim New Year.' When the Persian Jews celebrate it they do not call it the `Jewish New Year' . Same goes for the Christians and the Zoroastrians.  The Baha'is having originated from Iran also celebrated this ancient New Year but are using their influence, power and UNITY to pass it on  exclusively as the Bahai  New Year.  Now it will be up to our leaders to put a permanent stop to this by directly approaching any WORLD BAHA'I body that might exist  and formerly challenge them to this false and shameless claim/misrepresentaion. If their religion lacks original thought we should not pay for it by losing this very beautiful, important  and significant  Persian celebration-a celebration  of Life and renewal of nature itself.

 

Regards & Ushta  -Jimmy Dholoo, Maryland.

 

P.S. Personally I would like all calendars to show March 21st as : NORUZ- The Persian New Year  (I will let the scholars decide how we spell Navruz because that in itself seems to be in question)