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ID: 143588

Charity as a means of Zoroastrian self-preservation / Writer, Rashna

Writer, Rashna	Article
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Summary/Abstract

Zoroastrian theology's emphasis on living the good life; the encouragement to create material wealth with the accompanying social obligations to put it to good use, explains the immensely extensive welfare system put in place by the Parsi community in India. Following the Arab conquest of Iran, the diminution in numbers and stature of the Zoroastrians in the ancestral land and the subsequent Parsi settlement in India, meant the marginalization of a people whose forebears once ruled a mighty empire. Once the Parsis acquired financial success, they put in place a community-wide network of benevolent institutions. This was followed by extending a muscular benevolence to the Zoroastrians of Iran, which evolved into a highly structured undertaking to ensure the safeguarding of the community from virtual extinction. Thus, Zoroastrian philanthropy was as much a reaffirmation of religious traditions as it was a means of self-preservation.

Key Words

Welfare Institutions ; Zoroastrian Philanthropy ; Self-help as Survival Mechanism ; Preservation of Community Identity ; Muscular Benevolence ; Wealth Creation ;
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ID: 110037

Politics of Zoroastrian philanthropy and the case of Qasr-e Fir / Stewart, Sarah

Stewart, Sarah	Journal Article
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2012.

Summary/Abstract

In Iran and India religious philanthropy has been a feature of Zoroastrian piety as well as providing the means by which both communities have prospered throughout their respective histories. In Iran an elaborate structure for the regulation of charitable donations was already in place during the Sasanian period and laid the foundation for the laws governing pious foundations, awqaf, after the Islamic conquest. The increased interaction between Iranian Zoroastrians and Parsis from the mid-nineteenth century onwards led to the expansion of the Tehran Zoroastrian community and the rise of a wealthy merchant class which in turn enabled philanthropic activity to flourish. This development will be discussed here with reference to a particular vaqf, that of the first aramgah or Zoroastrian cemetery to be established in Tehran in the early twentieth century. The case of Qasr-e Firuzeh spans three successive governments in Iran and gives an insight into the management of a charitable endowment within different political contexts.

Key Words

Iran ; India ; Zoroastrian Philanthropy ; Religious Philanthropy ; Indian Politics - 1921-1971

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