Mandaeans

Ethnoreligious group Mandaeans ( ) are an ethnoreligious group native to the alluvial plain of southern Mesopotamia and are followers of Mandaeism , a monotheistic Gnostic religion. They were probably the first to practice baptism and are the last surviving Gnostics from antiquity. The Mandaeans were originally native speakers of Mandaic , a Semitic language that evolved from Eastern Middle Aramaic , before many switched to colloquial Iraqi Arabic and Modern Persian . Mandaic is mainly preserved as a liturgical language . In the aftermath of the Iraq War of 2003 , the Mandaean community of Iraq , which used to number 60,000–70,000 persons, collapsed; most of the community relocated to nearby Iran , Syria and Jordan , or formed diaspora communities beyond the Middle East . The other community of Iranian Mandaeans has also been dwindling as a result of religious persecution over that decade . An exodus to Sweden from Iraq for ethnic Mandaeans Hegarty, Siobhan (July 21, 2017). The Mandaeans · The Worlds of Mandaean Priests" . mandaeanpriests.exeter.ac.uk . Crawford, Angus: Mandaeans – a threatened religion Verschiedene Gemeinschaften / neuere religiöse Bewegungen , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst|Religionswissenschaftliche Medien- und Informationsdienst e. (Danish), religion.dk Society for Threatened Peoples: Leader of the world's Mandaeans asks for help MacQuarrie, Brian (August 13, 2016). "Embraced by Worcester, Iraq's persecuted Mandaean refugees now seek 'anchor'—their own temple" .

Middle Eastern ethnoreligious group You may need rendering support to display the uncommon Unicode characters in this article correctly. Mandaeans ( al-Mandāʾiyyūn ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( الصابئة المندائيون al-Ṣābiʾa al-Mandāʾiyyūn ) or simply as Sabians ( الصابئة al-Ṣābiʾa ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism . They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet . They may have been among the earliest religious groups to practice baptism , as well as among the earliest adherents of Gnosticism , a belief system of which they are the last surviving representatives today. The Mandaeans were originally native speakers of Mandaic , an Eastern Aramaic language , before they nearly all switched to Iraqi Arabic or Persian as their main language. After the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies in 2003, the Mandaean community of Iraq , which before the war numbered 60,000–70,000 persons, collapsed due to the rise of Islamic extremism and the absence of protection against it; with most of the community relocating to Iran , Syria and Jordan , or forming diaspora communities beyond the Middle East . Mandaeans have been forcibly converted to Islam, making them apostates from Islam if they revert back to their religion, thereby risking being murdered. Such Mandaeans have voiced feeling unsafe in any Muslim country for this reason. The remaining community of Iranian Mandaeans has also been dwindling as a result of religious persecution over the decades. Unlike other religious minorities such as Christians , Jews and Zoroastrians , Mandaeans have no protection from persecution whatsoever, similar to Baháʼís in Iran. By 2007, the population of Mandaeans in Iraq had fallen to approximately 5,000. There are estimated to be 60,000–100,000 Mandaeans worldwide. About 10,000 Mandaeans live in Australia and between 10,000 and 20,000 in Sweden , making them the countries with the most Mandaeans. There are about 2,500 Mandaeans in Jordan , the largest Mandaean community in the Middle East outside of Iraq and Iran. The Worlds of Mandaean Priests . Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East . "The strength within: The role of refugee community organisations in settlement-Case study: Sabean Mandean Association" . Refugee Council of Australia . "Embraced by Worcester, Iraq's persecuted Mandaean refugees now seek 'anchor'—their own temple" . Verschiedene Gemeinschaften / neuere religiöse Bewegungen , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst|Religionswissenschaftliche Medien- und Informationsdienst e. The Globe and Mail . "Religion : la Touraine, refuge des Sabéens-Mandéens" . la Nouvelle Republique . The First Baptists, The Last Gnostics: The Mandaeans" , YouTube-A lunchtime talk about the Mandaeans by Dr. The New York Times . "Смена юр адреса – Перерегистрация юридического адреса" . al Sheati, Ahmed (December 6, 2011). There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Middle Eastern ethnoreligious group You may need rendering support to display the uncommon Unicode characters in this article correctly. Mandaeans ( Mandaic : ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ) ( Arabic : المندائيون al-Mandāʾiyyūn ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( الصابئة المندائيون al-Ṣābiʾa al-Mandāʾiyyūn ) or simply as Sabians ( الصابئة al-Ṣābiʾa ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism . They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet . They may have been among the earliest religious groups to practice baptism , as well as among the earliest adherents of Gnosticism , a belief system of which they are the last surviving representatives today. The Mandaeans were originally native speakers of Mandaic , an Eastern Aramaic language , before they nearly all switched to Mesopotamian Arabic or Persian as their main language. After the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies in 2003, the Mandaean community of Iraq , which before the war numbered 60,000–70,000 persons, collapsed with most of the community relocating to Iran , Syria and Jordan , or forming diaspora communities beyond the Middle East . The remaining community of Iranian Mandaeans has also been dwindling as a result of religious persecution over the decades. Unlike other religious minorities such as Christians , Jews and Zoroastrians , Mandaeans have no protection from persecution whatsoever, similar to Baháʼís in Iran. By 2007, the population of Mandaeans in Iraq had fallen to approximately 5,000. There are estimated to be 60,000–100,000 Mandaeans worldwide. About 10,000 Mandaeans live in Australia and between 10,000 and 20,000 in Sweden , making them the countries with the most Mandaeans. There are about 2,500 Mandaeans in Jordan , the largest Mandaean community in the Middle East outside of Iraq and Iran. The Worlds of Mandaean Priests . Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East . "The strength within: The role of refugee community organisations in settlement-Case study: Sabean Mandean Association" . Refugee Council of Australia . "Embraced by Worcester, Iraq's persecuted Mandaean refugees now seek 'anchor'—their own temple" . Verschiedene Gemeinschaften / neuere religiöse Bewegungen , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst|Religionswissenschaftliche Medien- und Informationsdienst e. The Globe and Mail . "Religion: la Touraine, refuge des Sabéens-Mandéens" . la Nouvelle Republique . The First Baptists, The Last Gnostics: The Mandaeans" , YouTube-A lunchtime talk about the Mandaeans by Dr. "Smena yur adresa – Pereregistratsiya yuridicheskogo adresa" Смена юр адреса – Перерегистрация юридического адреса [Change of legal address – Re-registration of legal address] (in Russian). There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).