The Mandaean Diaspora in Damascus

In a field outside Damascus, a large gathering is taking place. In the center, eight men swathed in white cloth with full grey-white beards stand in rows and recite verses from a strange script in thick hand-written books. In front of them, smoke curls up from small wooden fires, and olive branches are scattered around. It looks like a scene from the Old Testament- the robes, the sacraments, and the low murmur of an unfamiliar language. Around them though, the mood is much less somber. Children chase each other around while glamorous women in Gucci sunglasses share drinks and gossip. Elsewhere, teenagers beat rhythms on tablas and sing along while families picnic on checkered blankets.

This is the weekly meeting of the Mandaeans, an ancient sect from the south of Iraq and Iran, also known as Sabeans. There are around 7,000 Mandaeans living in Damascus now, all refugees from the war in Iraq. As a small religious minority, they have been particularly vulnerable to violence, and have suffered acutely from the rise of sectarianism and religious extremism. Many have been tortured, raped, killed or subject to forced conversions because of their faith. The exodus from Iraq has increased as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated- it is thought that the Mandaeans in exile now outnumber those remaining in their ancestral homelands.

A trench filled with slowly flowing water encircles the field. Later on, a large part of the congregation, dressed in identical white robes, will be baptized in the water as part of a weekly ceremony. Of course, this is not their natural environment. The small man-made canal is a makeshift substitute for the natural flowing water of a river- an essential element of their baptism ritual, but something sorely lacking in the dry environs of Damascus.

Sheikh Khaldoun  and Sheikh Majed are Mandaean priests from Baghdad.  Sheikh Khaldoun's venerable appearance and biblical beard belie his easy manner and gentle sense of humor, and he talks about his beliefs with passion and animation. "As Mandaeans, we believe in one God, and revere many of the same prophets as Christianity and Islam. Sam, the son of Noah, is seen as the grandfather of the Mandaeans". John the Baptist is also one of the most important figures; while they see their faith as close to Christianity, they believe John's original message was later distorted by the Christians. They are mentioned 3 times in the Quran as 'people of the book'- fellow monotheists who should be treated with respect- and this status has afforded them protection in the past. But they also share many similarities with old, extinct Gnostic religions; their dualistic worldview, esoteric beliefs and mystical rituals.

The Mandaeans were officially protected under the secular regime of Saddam Hussein, although they suffered occasional persecution from religious extremists. However, after the 2003 invasion the situation deteriorated quickly. "We're a small group, and our population is spread out in areas dominated by other sects" explains Sheikh Khaldoun. "After the war started, the cities became split along sectarian lines, but as Mandaeans, we had nowhere to go. And while other sectarian groups had their own militias to protect themselves, we had no-one…we are traders and artisans, not men of violence". Every Mandaean in Damascus has horrific stories to tell- of death threats, kidnap, rape, and the murder of close relatives. Sheikh Khaldoun believes that what is happening in Iraq is nothing short of genocide. "Not everyone treats us badly. We had Muslim neighbors who respected us. But some people in Iraq are determined to wipe out our religion, either through killing us or forcing us to convert". He plays down his own experience of violence; the events which made him decide to leave the country. "Well, they placed a bomb in the doorway of my house" he says with a shrug, "but there wasn't too much damage- it’s a big house, after all. Some of my family were injured, but only lightly" He was also shot at by gunmen as he drove his car round his neighborhood. "As a man of religion, you are always very conspicuous... I was even held by the American forces, who thought I was involved in the insurgency"

Sheikh Khaldoun insists that the Mandaean faith currently faces a very real threat of extinction. "Of course, our faith is in grave danger… Mandaeans are now fragmented all over the world, in Holland, North America, and particularly Australia and Sweden.  Obviously, they are free to practice their faith, but it's often very difficult to practice it properly. There are not enough priests to perform important ceremonies- in Germany there is a large Mandaean population, but not a single priest". Some Mandaeans have stopped practicing altogether, or converted to Christianity. Because Mandaean rituals are complex, and only the priests have access to much of the holy knowledge, the role of the priest in guiding the laity is essential. Little can be done to stop the fall in numbers, since Mandaeanism is not a missionary religion, and conversion of non-Mandaeans to the faith is prohibited. Even the offspring of Mandaeans who marry non-Mandaeans cannot belong to the faith.

The Mandaeans' closed and secretive nature and principles of non-proselytizing have helped them survive through centuries of Islamic dominance. But now they are scattered around the world, these very factors mean that their existence is threatened. Wouldn't it be wise to open up the religion in some way to ensure its survival? Sheikh Khaldoun is insistent. "Even if somebody could meet the spiritual demands needed to become Mandaean, what would be the consequences of such a move? If we became an open, missionary religion, those extremists that threaten us now would be even more determined to wipe us out. It wouldn't be a way of ensuring our survival- it would guarantee our extinction"

The decision to flee one's homeland is never taken lightly. But Sheikh Khaldoun and Sheikh Majed stress that in Syria the Mandaean refugees have generally been met with acceptance and tolerance. "Many of our neighbors here had never heard of Mandaeans before we arrived. They know very little about our faith, but they highly respect us. I don’t know why. But I feel the people of Jeremana (the Damascus suburb where many Mandaean refugees live) are good-hearted, peace-loving people" Sheikh Majed arrived in 2005, in one of the first waves of refugees. "We needed to find a place with running water where we could carry out our rituals" he explains. "After finding the land, we had to register with the Ministry of Religions to get authorization, and to inform the Security services. To our surprise, all the officials were very welcoming and cooperative- they even provided us with security. But in two years we have used these sites without any problems"   

The Mandaean refugees in Damascus feel thoroughly Iraqi. They are proud of their nationality, and speak the same thick Iraqi Arabic as their non-Mandaean compatriots, mainly reserving their traditional Syriac dialect for religious ceremonies. After the baptism, many sang jubilantly along to the Iraqi national football song, "Bring the Cup Home", the recent Asian cup victory still fresh in their minds. But when talk turns to the future of their homeland, their faces invariably drop. Many can't envisage a time in the near future when it will be safe to return. "It will be a very long time before Iraq is safe for us again," says Sheikh Khaldoun, "and the Mandaeans who have managed to emigrate to Europe or North America will be reluctant to return, even if the situation improves" And while the lucky few are granted asylum in Sweden or Australia, the rest just wait and hope. Here in Damascus they are free from mortal dangers, but they are in limbo, living off their savings and unable to work.  

Sheikh Khaldoun believes that NGOs and foreign governments should pay more attention to the plight of the Mandaeans. There is sadly no shortage of human tragedy in Iraq today, and people from all religious groups have suffered appalling violence. But the extinction of the Mandaean faith would be a cultural tragedy as well as a human one. "There are organizations set up to save the panda from extinction" he says, "but why not save the Mandaeans? As well as human beings under threat, as a group we are the keepers of an ancient knowledge, and witnesses to unknown times in history..." He maintains that people don't need to convert to the Mandaean faith in order to benefit from it. "As Mandaeans, our whole philosophy is about humanity and co-existence. By learning about our beliefs people can better understand the roots of other religions, but also, they can hopefully become better human beings"

By: matthew mcnaught