UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...
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prohibition to kill, lie, commit adultery or theft, consume alcohol or exercise magic. 295<br />
They are also forbidden to mourn the dead and must fast 36 days a year. 296 Non-violence is<br />
central to the Sabaean-Mandaean faith and the use of force or the carrying of weapons is<br />
not permitted. 297 Proselytizing and conversion are not practised and membership in the<br />
religion can only be attained by birth, however, both parents must also be Sabaean-<br />
Mandaeans. 298 Accordingly, Sabaean-Mandaeans are only allowed to marry other Sabaean-<br />
Mandaeans in order to preserve their religion, another factor that has contributed to the<br />
decreasing number of followers.<br />
The traditional centres of the Sabaean-Mandaeans are in Southern Iraq, in the marsh<br />
districts and on the lower reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, including the towns of<br />
Amarah, Nassriyah and Basrah and at the junction of the two rivers at Qurnah, Qal’at<br />
Saleh, Halfayah and Suq Ash-Shuyukh. Communities of varying size are found in the<br />
centre and north of Iraq, including in Baghdad, Al-Kut, Diwaniyah, Fallujah, Kirkuk and<br />
Mosul. 299 According to Sabaean-Mandaean sources, the largest communities are located in<br />
Baghdad and Basrah. 300<br />
The Sabaean-Mandaean community is organized as follows:<br />
1. The General Council, which represents the Mandaean families (chairman: Hussein<br />
Radi);<br />
2. The General Spiritual Council, which includes all clergymen and is concerned with<br />
religious affairs (chairman: Sheikh Sattar Jabar Helou);<br />
3. The Council of General Affairs, which is concerned with non-religious affairs such<br />
as legal social, cultural affairs, public relations and research (chairman: Toma<br />
Zeki). 301<br />
The Qur’an guarantees protection to a group mentioned as “sabians”, but provides no<br />
details as to who they were. While it is believed that the Qur’an refers to the Sabaean-<br />
Mandaean as “People of the Book” (Ahl Al-Kitab), 302 which would provide them with<br />
295<br />
Ethel Stefana Drower reported in 1962 that some Mandaean priests in spite of the prohibition of such<br />
practices derive part of their income from the writing of amulets and from sorcery to make a living; see The<br />
Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran: Their Cults, Customs, Magic Legends, and Folklore, 1962, extracts under<br />
Farvardyn Project, http://www.farvardyn.com/mandaean.php.<br />
296<br />
Mandaean Research Centre, Council of General Affairs, Mandaean Sabians, 1999,<br />
http://www.mandaeans.org.<br />
297<br />
Mandaean Human Rights Group, see above footnote 288; speech by Tarmida Yuhana Nashmi,<br />
Contemporary Issues for the Mandaean Faith, July 2004, http://www.mandaeanunion.org/History/<br />
EN_History_010.htm; IWPR, Ancient Sect Targeted, Iraqi Crisis Report No. 45, 22 January 2004,<br />
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=168543&apc_state=heniicr2004.<br />
298<br />
According to Sheikh Sattar Helou, Sabaean-Mandaeans have not proselytized since 70 years after the<br />
death of Jesus Christ, when 365 Sabaean priests were killed in a single day in Babylon; see Mite, Iraq: Old<br />
Sabaean-Mandean Community Is Proud of Its Ancient Faith, see above footnote 288.<br />
299<br />
Ethel Stefana Drower, The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran: Their Cults, Customs, Magic Legends, and<br />
Folklore, 1962, extracts under Farvardyn Project, http://www.farvardyn.com/mandaean.php.<br />
300<br />
Mandaean Human Rights Group, see above footnote 288.<br />
301<br />
The Mandaean Official Site, http://www.mandaeans.org; UNAMI HRO, communication October 2006.<br />
302<br />
For example, the unofficial Website of Ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, states<br />
that the Sabaeans are among the Ahl Al-Kitab; see: Khamenei.de, Uncleanness of Kafir, Cleanness of Ahl al-<br />
69