Sunday, August 24, 2008
[Following a requaest about the 'MANDAEANS'
According to scholars, the religion is a fourth sibling to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Like their adherents, the Mandaeans, also known as Sabians, are monotheistic and share many of the same prophets, with John the Baptist a central figure. The similarity has meant that the Mandaeans have survived their varying rulers, even if their history tells of ostracism, harassment and on occasion a violent pogrom.
But the situation for the Mandaeans in Iraq has turned from difficult to catastrophic. Following the U.S. invasion in 2003 and the sectarian tensions, violence directed at minorities has become rampant. In the bloody order of Iraq, a tiny group like the Mandaeans, concentrated around Baghdad where the violence has been most widespread, come out among the worst.
Reports from Iraq tell of a great number of killings, kidnappings, rapes, forced conversions and evictions.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/09/asia/mandeans.php
Yale Daily News - Iraqi minority group needs U.S. attention Mar 9, 2007 ... It is clear that Mandaeans in Iraq are being subjected to ethnic cleansing, the attempt to create ethnic homogeneity by removing other ...
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20341
FrontPage Magazine Aug 13, 2008 ... Only 4000 Mandaeans remain in Iraq...
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=D3CC0184-4CB4-48C5-9C98-1229267A8A52
iranian.com: The Mandaeans, Iran persecution, Amnesty ...Jul 13, 2005
http://www.iranian.com/BTW/2005/July/Mandaean/index.html
Labels: Ethnic cleansing, Iraq, Islamic bigotry, Mandaeans