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Printable version Iraq chaos threatens ancient faith Kate Clark By Kate Clark BBC News, Damascus Mandean priest Maajis Saeb Mandean priests fear their creed could disappear completely There are fears for the future of one of the most ancient, as well as the smallest, communities in Iraq - the Mandeans. Their religion, Mandeanism, comes from the same general background as Jud aism, Christianity and Islam. They share many of the same prophets, but particularly honour John the Ba ptist. This is a religion almost solely confined to Iraq, but since the US-led i nvasion in 2003, many Mandeans have fled the country and now more than h alf of them live outside its borders. The refugees speak of kidnap, murder and attempts at forced conversion. MANDEANISM FACTS The only surviving Gnostic religion from late antiquity About 20,000-50,000 adherents Centred in southern Iraq and SW Iran, but many living abroad Focus on John the Baptist as central figure in faith One woman, Ibtisam Sabah Habib, said there had always been some threats a nd pressure to convert to Islam, but under the previous Iraqi regime the re had been limits. "Now, there are no rules and no government," she said, describing how an armed gang of Islamic extremists had got into her house, killed her fath er and stolen all their money. "They would telephone us at home, threatening us and trying to convert us . But the extremists are very strong now - our neighbours could n't protect us all the time." Warning Ibtisam was speaking from the safety of Syria, where she has fled with he r husband and children. Mandeans have traditionally been protected under Islamic law, as believer s in one god - like Jews and Christians. Ibtisam Habib It was our Muslim neighbours who saved me but the extremists are very str ong - our neighbours couldn't protect us all the time Ibtisam Habib But since the war in Iraq, they have found themselves targeted by Sunni a nd Shia Islamic extremists, and by criminal gangs who use religion to ju stify their attacks. One leaflet which Mandeans said had been distributed to homes in Baghdad gave this warning to both them and Christians (who form another of Iraq' s minorities): "Either you embrace Islam and enjoy safety and coexist amongst us, or lea ve our land and stop toying with our principles. Otherwise, the sword wi ll be the judge between belief and blasphemy." "They don't accept us," said Madeha Miran Daftah, who fled to Syria after her son was murdered and his corpse mutilated by people claiming to hav e killed an unbeliever. We used to fee l it was our country, but things are different now." One of her surviving sons, 24-year-old Shawq, who was kidnapped and tortu red, said he could not imagine ever returning home. "His attackers beat him up and stole everything," said Shada. "When we went to seek justice, the judge said the Muslims had the right t o steal from us. Scars on Shawq Hawsun Mawla The scars of torture remain visible on Shawq's body Individuals from all religious and ethnic groups are suffering criminal a nd religious violence in Iraq, but the United Nations Refugee Agency, UN HCR, has said Mandeans are particularly vulnerable. "We're very concerned about them," said a UNHCR spokesman, Peter Kessler. "There is so much discrimination against them and even persecution, and the numbers coming out of Iraq have been enormous compared to their pop ulation there, which is so small." Mandeans have their own language - Mandean - which is from the same famil y as Arabic and Hebrew. Their central religious ceremony is baptism in flowing water, first in ch ildhood, then marriage and at any time an individual wants to be cleanse d of sin or make a life change. As the community there shrinks and people seek refuge outside, becoming a thinly scattered diaspora, many people are worried that their religion may not survive. Maajis Saeb, a Mandean priest, says there are not enough men of religion to serve the various diaspora communities. Luay Zahran Habib, a researcher in Mandeanism, is even more pessimistic: "Mandeanism may be finished in a few years' time if we're not gathered t ogether somewhere, because it will be difficult to find marriage partner s and perform our ceremonies.
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