PETITION TO

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28436, 16 November 1957, Page 8

PETITION TO

ARCHBISHOPS

Racehorse Named After Prophet

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 15.

The Marchioness of Winchester, who was born in India, went to Church House and delivered a petition addressed to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York protesting against what she described as an affront to the Parsee religion by the naming of a racehorse after their holy prophet, Zarathustra.

A similar petition has been addressed to the Pope and to President O’Kelly of Eire. The petition said that an Irishman, Terence Grey, owned the horse. Zarathustra, and that a protest was made to the jockey club and to Grey. The horse ran again and again under the sacred name of the prophet, said the petition. Last July, Grey announced the horse was by Persian Gulf and was named Zarathustra by his father.

He also announced that he had sold the horse to the Curragh blood stock agency and that it was going to stand at stud. ‘This blasphemy no longer remains the concern of Parsees alone but of the whole world, said the petition. “If this defiance of God is not stopped now, if a single foal is allowed to be called by Zarathustra, it will be a mpekery of God, not only of the prophet, Zarathustra, but of all the founders and all the prophets of all religions.” The Marchioness said later that the Vice-President of India, Dr. Sir S. Radharkrishnan, was bringing the matter before the forthcoming conference’of all religions in New Delhi.