History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

228 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP, V.

was a poor weaver of Broach. A dispute about his wages arose between him and a Mahomedan Syed, and the latter took great offence and falsely charged Kamaji with having called him, the Syed, a “kafir” (infidel). The complaint was taken before Ahmed Bee, the then Nawab of Broach, who consulted the “ kazi” and the ‘‘moulvi” of the city as to the punishment to be awarded to the Parsi who had dared to call a “true believer” a “kafir.” These officers gave their opinion that by the offence with which the accused was charged he had rendered himself unfit to live in this world, and should therefore be put to death; but if he renounced his religion and embraced that of the Prophet (Islamism) he might be pardoned. In countries subject to Mahomedan sway the lawgiver and the judge is invariably the “kazi,’ and his opinion is law, and his decisions are tantamount to decrees of court. Kamaji was therefore given the option of either forfeiting his life or becoming a Mahomedar. Like a true Zoroastrian and a worthy descendant of those who had for the sake of their conscience and religion abandoned their country and their homes and sacrificed all that they possessed in this world, he expressed his contempt for so ignoble a purchase of life, and preferred death to displeasing his God. He met his fate by the sword.

The first Parsis in India had of necessity to follow

certain of the Hindu practices in order to secure the