A short introduction to the Modern Mandaean community

An essay on the modern Mandaean community

In the early 20th Century, most Mandaeans lived together in small communities in the south of Iraq and a few in Iran. They lived very simple lives where religion played a major role in their way of life. Their diet was very healthy and consisted of vegetables and little meat, mainly fish. Partly because it was plentiful in the nearby rivers, did not need to be farmed and due to religious reasons. They lived in small mud huts usually near a river so that they could regularly do their prayers and baptisms. In the past, Mandaean communities built their mud huts in a unique way, this made them look different, this meant that you could tell a Mandaean family by the hut in which they lived.

The second part of the 19th Century saw a change within attitudes in the Mandaean community. More Mandaeans went in pursuit of better jobs and opportunity. The community wasn’t looking only for financial opportunities but educational ones too. Mandaeans were known for their secretive and cautious past but during this time Mandaeans wanted to become involved in society and they knew they could do this by becoming important members of society through education and business. Therefore we see a large amount of Mandaeans becoming doctors, teachers, businessmen, physicists and other occupations of importance during the 1950s to this day. This change in attitudes within the community meant that many families moved to the capital from cities such as Basra and Amara. With many Mandaean people’s focus on new objectives the religious aspects of their life like the strict dietary laws and regular long prayers were not upheld as rigorously as they were in the past because they were either too strict or there wasn’t enough time. The only exception is the clergy who have maintained this very religious way of life along with a few lay peoples.

An interesting observation between the classical, if you like, Mandaeans and the first modern ones is that the classical Mandaeans had a much longer lifespan. This is probably because their diet was much healthier. As Professor Buckley pointed out many Mandaeans were living so long they’d usually die because of Pneumonia (while doing prayers in the river) during the winter season rather than old age.

During the second half of the 20th Century the Mandaean community produced many famous figures. The most well-known person though is the renowned physicist Abdul Jabbar Abdullah. As well as being the president of Baghdad university, he worked with NASA and helped create the spacecraft which put the first man on the moon.

After Saddam’s entry to power in 1979 many Mandaeans did not know what to expect. In my opinion I think many Mandaeans were glad that he was not a religious fundamentalist. Although Saddam’s secular policy allowed Mandaeans to integrate into society throughout the 80s many Mandaeans still suffered.

It just happened that instead of working with the secular but authoritarian Baathist regime many ordinary Mandaeans, youths, the working class, the intellectuals joined groups that claimed to be a pro-democratic or alternative to the Baathist regime. This meant many Mandaeans were murdered in an attempt to secure Saddam’s iron grip on the country. The fear that spread among the Mandaean community, especially the political figures, meant that those who could flee did so and ended up in places such as Sweden, the USA, Austrailia, Denmark, Holland and Britain. In my opinion, the political persecution of the Mandaeans was the starting cause of Diaspora within the community.

Political problems were followed by the Iraq-Iran war, which meant many Mandaean men were sent off to the frontline knowing that returning alive or able-bodied was highly unlikely. As I mentioned in an earlier article the high rate of deaths caused the community to have more women than men. This led to problems when Mandaeans wanted to get married as some women simply couldn’t find partners. The Iraq-Iran war increased the number of Mandaean families fleeing. A few families however did not go, thinking that the worst was over. For a few years, this was true but then more political turmoil led to the invasion of Kuwait in 1991. Again, men were conscripted into the army, many men died and the Mandaean community suffered.

After the Kuwait war the trade embargo meant that healthcare, education and oil revenues all decreased. Inflation began to rise. The embargo of 1991 onwards and the wars meant that Iraq’s economical progress was beginning to be lost as well as losing its title as the medical and educational beacon of the Middle East. The deteriorating conditions meant people became more extreme, Saddam became more suspicious increasing the country’s secret services. Religious extremism was on the rise again and this worried the Mandaeans. By the year 1995 most Mandaean people were trying to leave or had already done so. Those who stayed were bound by responsibility, fear or poverty.

Mandaeans were and still are scattered all over the world from Austrailia to Britain and in-between – in my opinion not many want to return to their homeland due to the existing conditions.

The Modern Mandaean community wants to regroup in a democratic country, with a well established economy and educational opportunities so that the community will be free to flourish for the first time in history.

Many Mandaeans see this place as Austrailia or America.

Noah Kimit