|  Return
of Shahrzad
Part 10
By Eric J. Jerpe
March 26, 2004
iranian.com
Eventually, Shahrzad turned from the glowing
exhibit. The crowd gathered around her as she walked over to where
the magi were standing. She halted in front of them, said hello
to her personal acquaintances, Romeen and Roxana and Porzand and
the Yazd Magi, then spoke to the crowd in general.
"As I gaze into the Sacred Flame, I see twelve thousand
cowhide parchments containing the chapters to the Holy Avesta written
in
golden ink. I see the destruction of all but a small fraction of
this precious wisdom."
The onlookers began asking theological questions,
not of the magi but of this ravishing beauty who spoke like a visionary.
One man
asked, "What does the Magian Faith say about Heaven and Hell?"
"According to Zoroaster," answered Shahrzad,
"when we die our essence leaves the body, and depending upon the
choices
it has made, either it will go to the House of Songs and Realm
of Light (for those who choose good) or to the Realm of Darkness
and Separation (for those who choose evil). Heaven and Hell are
not described as physical places, but as timeless states of consciousness:
either oneness with or separation from Ahura Mazda. Yet, as with
the concept of angelic hierarchy, mythology crept into the Zoroastrian
concept of afterlife, reaching its low point in the writings of
Adra Viraf during the Sassanian dynasty."
The same man then asked, "And what of Reincarnation?"
Shahrzad answered: "There is only one hint of reincarnation
in the Gathas, Verse Eleven of Yasna Forty-Nine. 'But souls
whose inner light continues dim, who have not yet beheld the Light
of Truth, unto this Home of Falsehood (this Earth) shall they return.'
The clearly expressed idea of progress along the Path of Asha has
much
in common with the Hindu Law of Karma wherein reincarnation is
a definite ingredient, yet Zoroastrianism neither affirms reincarnation
nor denies it. If one thinks of reality in terms of time passages,
then a soul might be bound to return because of something unsettled.
It would be too much to say that Magian doctrine implies reincarnation,
but it does leave room for it."
A woman raised her hand and meekly asked, "What
does the Magian Faith say of the rights and duties of women in
marriage?"
Shahrzad answered: "In Yasna Fifty-Three Zoroaster
speaks of marriage. In Verse Three he addresses his youngest daughter,
Pouro-Chista: 'Ahura Mazda has offered you a husband, a person
who has deep attachment to Good Mind and Truth. Therefore, consult
with your inner self and wisdom, and act through pure love and
intuition.'
"In Verse Four Pouro-Chista replies, 'I
have consulted my inner self, and I choose to accept him as husband
and father to
my children. I commit myself to being a righteous and deserving
wife. May Ahura Mazda grant my descendents the glorious heritage
of Vohu Mano and the blessing bestowed upon the followers of Asha.'
"In Verse Five, Zoroaster addresses all newlyweds.
'These words I speak to maidens truly wed and to their partners
young;
bear them in mind and understand them deep within your souls. Strive
to surpass one another in Truth and Good Mind. Thus, both of you
shall reap the rewards of love and happiness.'
"Zoroaster is saying that marriage is a commitment
from both parties, the repercussions of which will be felt throughout
the ages. Nowhere
does he say that the wife is to be the abject slave of her husband.
The Prophet of Iran does not give a blueprint for living a good
marriage, only a guiding principal."
From this statement, Shahrzad digressed into a theological
generalization: "Indeed, religion itself is not meant to
provide detailed answers to the problems one faces in everyday
life; rather, it is meant to provide a solid moral foundation
upon which the individual can properly choose to do what in right
in
changing circumstances. Rules and regulations governing people's
lives occasionally require amendment. There is much guiding wisdom
and classic poetry in the Koran, but when you base any society
upon a defined set of transgressions and punishments meant for
a totally different era, then you deny contemporary relevance
to genuinely religious writings, nullify their inspirational value,
and freeze that society's progress on multiple fronts."
All the listeners were truly enthralled, eager to
hear more of what Shahrzad had to say. But their attentions shifted
as a
group of four men, a mullah in clerical robes along with his
entourage of plainclothes theocratic police, entered into the
Temple. The
sudden arrival of these authorities triggered a tense stiffening-up
among the listeners, including Romeen and Roxana, who immediately
recognized the mullah and his entourage as the same enforcers
they had seen last night in their hotel lobby.
Standing just inside the Temple, the mullah looked
with hard, cold eyes at the group of Moslems touring the site of
what
he regarded
as a relic of antiquity that should have been obliterated
like the Afghan Buddha statue. As long as these Moslems kept this
visit to a fire temple on the same plane as a visit to Persepolis,
the
mullah, while somewhat disgusted by their ungodly interest
in such polytheistic remnants, could voice no objection.
But
for
some time
he had been sensing that here, within the walls of this fire
temple, there existed a potential threat to the world order
he emphatically
believed in and vowed to protect.
"Welcome, good mullah," greeted the Yazd Temple
magi, "to this house of worship. You will find no enemies here."
Speaking to the small crowd of Moslems rather than
answering the magi, the mullah declared, "It says in the Sacred
Writings
that Jews and Zoroastrians are the greatest enemies of
Islam."
Romeen, aware of that quotation, thought, Although literally
that is what it says, you are taking the passage out of
context, mullah.
His fear for the safety of himself and his wife prevented
him from voicing any scriptural corrections.
"But here in the ancient city of Yazd," noted Porzand,
"Jews and Zoroastrians and Christians and Moslems have
all lived
together in peaceful coexistence for many centuries."
"And the current president of Israel was born in
Yazd," said the mullah as if to counter that argument."
Shahrzad stepped a few paces closer to the mullah
and, calm and smiling, addressed him: "Do you know the story
of the
Enchanted Prince of the Black Isles?"
Most of the onlookers cringed at the apparent brazenness
on the part of this mysterious woman. The mullah
himself raised
eyebrows
as if somewhat startled but more than ready to
punish any kind of defiance.
"The Black Isles were a place much like Yazd,"
Shahrzad continued, "a place where Jews and Magians
and Nazarenes
and Moslems all lived in peace and harmony under
the rule of a benevolent prince. But then, a
sorceress cast a spell
upon
the
young prince, transforming him into a block of
marble from the waist down while he remained
a man from
the
waist up.
At the
same time, all of his subjects were transformed
into fish. There were
four kinds of fish, each kind with a different
color, each color representing one of the kingdom's
four
religions: the Jews
were yellow, the Magians (who were thought to
worship fire)
were red, the Nazarenes were blue, and the Moslems
were white."
"Who are you?" demanded the mullah in the harsh
voice of one who does not play games.
"My name is Shahrzad," she answered in a pleasant tone
of voice.
The mullah pointed to the glass-encased fire and
angrily shouted, "You know full well that it is an affront to Almighty
God for a
Moslem
to even enter into this temple of fire worshippers!"
"Then why have you entered?" she calmly inquired.
This was too much. The mullah was now determined
to arrest this rash entity he was now confronting. He thundered,
"I am here
to save my people from being led astray!"
She held her own against a man not to be trifled
with: "No one is being led astray in this temple. These good people
are merely
curious about the faith of their ancient ancestors, and we are
here to answer their questions."
The mullah sensed an opportunity. A infidel proselytizer,
he thought.
"You are not a Moslem, then?" he queried in the
cautious tone of one ready to spring a trap.
"No," she calmly replied, leaving it at that. I cannot arrest her for apostasy, thought the mullah,
unless she is Moslem-born.
"Are you a Bahai?" the mullah asked, thinking he might be
able to initiate steps towards arresting her if she belonged
to that heretical offshoot of Islam which counted Zoroaster as
one
of the prophets in a flagrant contradiction of the Koran.
She again gave a laconic, "No."
"Good mullah," intervened Porzand, "in keeping with
the spirit of azadi, the reason for our revolution against
the shah, the Islamic Republic of Iran guarantees freedom
for religious
minorities. It is written into our constitution which is
based upon the Koran."
Looking at Porzand and the Yazd magi while pointing
to Shahrzad, the mullah asked, "Was she born a Zoroastrian?"
"Yes," replied the Yazd magi, nodding his head in
the affirmative.
"In that case, show me her identification card,"
the mullah demanded.
The implications of the mullah's order jolted Romeen
and Roxana as well as the two magi. Each of the four was about
to verbally
defend Shahrzad, but was preempted by Shahrzad herself. "I have no identification card," said the mystic
woman.
I've got her! thought the mullah.
Porzand intervened: "Good mullah, we are in the
process of preparing the official documentation identifying her
as a member
of our community."
"Unacceptable," declared the mullah. "If she is
truly Zoroastrian-born, then she must already have in her possession
a card identifying her as such." The mullah extended his
arm as if to grab hold of Shahrzad. Romeen instinctively moved
forward as if to counter him, but was immediately blocked by
one
of the powerfully-built bodyguards. The mullah did not actually
touch the mystic woman, but he did announce, "Moslem-born
woman, I arrest you for the crimes of Apostasy and Disturbing
of Public Opinion." Collective groans permeated the room. Both magi
wailed in sorrow. Romeen and Roxana stood in stunned silence.The
taller Shahrzad
and the shorter mullah stood facing each other, the mullah grinning,
Shahrzad looking back at him with no trace of fear in her countenance.
The bodyguards stood ready to pummel anyone daring to interfere
with
the arrest.
Roxana looked at Romeen, thinking, Do something,
my husband. Save her, somehow, or forever be disgraced in my eyes.
Romeen looked at the tough guy challenging him,
his mind taking into account all the situation's factors while
trying to
decide upon a course of action. Romeen was younger than any of
the goons facing him, but each of them was considerably heftier
than he. This clerical entourage was not composed of young novices
inexperienced in the art of smashing heads, but practiced bruisers,
veteran skull-smashers who had been practicing their craft since
the overthrow of the shah.
Roxana looked around at the other people who had
so recently been such ardent listeners. You herds of sheep! she
mentally chided
before thinking, What can I do? What can any of us do?
The face-off remained like a coiled spring about
to unwind until Shahrzad turned from the mullah, stepped over to
Romeen and
said, "There is little you can do." She then turned
to a tearful Roxana and said, "Don't worry. All will
be well." Shahrzad turned again, faced the mullah and
said, "Let us go quietly."
She walked out the door along with the enforcers.
Roxana thought, Is she insane?
Everyone followed the mystic woman and exited the
temple. The crowd stood outside at the top of the steps as Shahrzad
descended
the steps with her captors.
At the bottom of the steps, Shahrzad turned and
faced the group that had listened to her recital. She raised her
arm to wave good-bye,
but before she could do so one of the theocratic policeman pushed
her and snarled, "Get moving!" The listeners, as a
group, lurched forward and cried out in collective protest, as
if momentarily acting out a fantasy of deliverance.
"What you are doing is totally against Islam!" shouted
one man. "You are undoing the civilizing influence of centuries!"
shouted
another.
Roxana was still crying when she heard her husband
click on his cell phone. She looked at him as he dialed the number
and awaited
response. The ringing went on as he anxiously murmured, "Please
answer, please answer." Eventually, Romeen heard an answering
"Hello" and immediately recognized the voice as that of his sister
in Tehran.
"Shahrzad," he said, "I must talk to father."
Over the cell phone, Romeen heard his sister's response from
Tehran: "Father's away now. He should be back this
evening."
"I must talk with him," said Romeen in an excited
voice. "As soon as he gets home, tell him to stay put. I will call
back." "Romeen," asked his sister Shahrzad in a concerned
voice, "is everything okay?"
"Roxana and I are okay," he replied. "It's something
else. There is a legal case that father must get involved in. I'll
explain everything this evening."
Romeen clicked off his cell phone and returned it
to his suit pocket. He looked at his tear-eyed wife and said, "My
father was
once a high-ranking judge. He still has enough prestige to save
her."
Although grateful that Romeen was at least trying
to help, Roxana nevertheless continued to feel intense pangs of
sorrow and loss.
She bemoaned, "Shahrzad was granted only a brief moment
to deliver her message. A door of hope opened just ajar, revealing
the Holy Spirit before snapping shut." >>> To
be continued >>> Previois
parts
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