UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

) Sabaean-Mandaeans 286
i) General
The Sabaean-Mandaean religion is monotheistic and reflects numerous religious influences,
including ancient Gnostic, Jewish, Christian and Islamic beliefs and exists in Iran
(Khuzestan) and Iraq. The exact number of its followers in Iraq is not known but estimates
are between 10,000 287 and 75,000. 288 In addition, there are Sabaean-Mandaean
communities in Europe, America, Australia and other countries. 289 The religion’s precise
date of origin is still disputed by religious academics. John the Baptist is a central figure in
the Sabaean-Mandaean religion and considered a prophet. 290 Ritual cleanliness and holding
baptism (Masbuta) are central to the religion. The custom, which antedated the baptisms of
St. John and is repeatedly practiced, 291 stems from the belief that living water is the
principle of life. Accordingly, Sabaean-Mandaeans traditionally live nearby rivers. The
word “sabaean” comes from the Aramaic-Mandaic 292 word saba, or “baptized”, “immersed
in water”. “Mandaean” comes from the Mandaic word menda and means “knowledge”. 293
Their chief holy book is the Ginza Raba (“The Great Treasure”), a compendium of
cosmology, prayers, legends, and rituals. 294 Sabaean-Mandaeans’ moral rules include the
286
Within the Middle East, but outside of their community, the Mandaeans are more commonly known as
the Subba (singular Subbi). Muslims usually refer to them collectively as the Sabians (Arabic نﻮﺌﺑﺎﺼﻟا Al-
Sābi’ūn) in reference to the Sabians mentioned in the Qur’an.
287
Figure provided by Mandaean leaders; see: USDOS, International Religious Freedom Report 2006 –
Iraq, see above footnote 28.
288
Valentinas Mite, Iraq: Old Sabaean-Mandean Community Is Proud of Its Ancient Faith, RFE/RL, 14 July
2004, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/07/97177af0-16bc-46ae-99b9-7c3779e31e3c.html. According
to the Mandaean Human Rights Group, there are around 50,000 Sabaean-Mandaeans in Iraq; see Mandaean
Human Rights Group, The Mandaean Crisis in Iraq, April 2006, http://mandaeanunion.org/HMRG/
EN_HMRG_011.html.
289
Mandaean Human Rights Group, ibidem.
290
There exists a widespread but erroneous belief that the Mandaeans consider John the Baptist to be the
founder of their religion, calling them the “Christians of St. John the Baptist”. This misidentification stems
from Portuguese missionaries who came into contact with the communities in the 7 th century A.D. and does
not represent Mandaic beliefs. In fact, St. John the Baptist was merely one of their greatest teachers and is
considered a prophet; see Dr. Erica C.D. Hunter, The Mandaeans, Manchester University, 1995,
http://home.iprimus.com.au/yardna/html/mandaean.htm.
291
For example, couples will be baptized after their engagement, again before the wedding ceremony and
again after the marriage is consummated. Pall-bearers must be baptized before and after carrying a coffin.
Anyone who comes into contact with a “sinner”, or non-believer, must be baptized. In addition, every Sunday,
all Mandaeans are encouraged to undergo baptism; see Ted Robberson, Iraq’s Baptist Mandaeans are
survivors, but ranks are thinning, The Dallas Morning News, 23 February 2004, http://www.wwrn.org/
article.php?idd=6595&sec=41&con=34.
292
Mandaic is a member of the East Aramaic sub-family of Northwest Semitic languages and is the liturgical
language of the Mandaean religion; see Omniglot, Mandaic alphabeth, http://www.omniglot.com/writing/
mandaic.htm.
293
See the Mandaean Official Site, http://www.mandaeans.org.
294
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Mandaeans, Sixth Edition 2006, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-
Mandaean.html.
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