In keeping with threats, made by US President Trump, targeting Iranian cultural sites as a retaliatory tactic in the ongoing military confrontation in the region, FEZANA (The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America), has called upon the Trump and the administration to show restraint and strive for the protection of the cultural sites that belong to all of humanity.

These threats have caused anguish and revulsion worldwide, but especially amongst members of the Zoroastrian community, who take pride in the glorious cultural heritage of Iran as these comprise the last living links to the remains of the ancient Persian civilizations which flourished in the region, of which modern day Iran is a part of. The glorious remains of the Achaemenids at Persepolis, majestically standing through millennia, are not just Iran’s but the world’s heritage. The founder of that dynasty, Cyrus the Great, finds honorable mention both – in the Bible and in some of America’s founding documents.

Modern day Iran is an ancient land of varied peoples. Scattered across it are artifacts left behind or edifices currently used by waves of civilizations and practitioners of some of the great ancient religions of the world–Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Damage to any of these cultural sites be a travesty and irreparable loss to all of mankind. It is extremely distressing to even contemplate the destruction of such architectural and cultural splendor marking a glorious chapter in human history.

FEZANA is the coordinating body for 26 Zoroastrian member associations and 15 corresponding groups throughout the United States and Canada.