Iraq: Information on the Mandeans of Iraq
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ12041 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Information on the Mandeans of Iraq, 1 October 1992, IRQ12041, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acbd4c.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached some documents that contain references to the Mandeans, particularly to the religious beliefs and practices of the Mandean religion. One of the documents states that Mandeanism (or Mandaeism) is an "ancient Middle East religion still surviving in Iraq and Khuzistan (southwest Iran)," adding that "the religion is usually treated as a Gnostic sect" that resembles Manichaeism in some respects (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 1989, Vol. 7, 762).
Another document describes the religion by stating that "Mandaeism shows affinities with Judaism and Christianity" and "exhibits certain early influences from the Iranian religious milieu" (The Encyclopedia of Religion 1987, 150). The same document states the following:
The Mandaeans of today live, as their ancestors did, along the rivers and waterways of southern Iraq and Khuzistan, Iran. Known by their neighbours as Subbi ("baptizers"), they form a gnostic baptist community (Ibid.).
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, however, states that "Mandaeans are to be found in Baghdad" (Vol. 21, 903). Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB.
References
The Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987. Vol. 9. Mircea Eliade, ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. Micropaedia. 15th ed. Vol. 7. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
. 1989. Macropaedia. 15th ed. Vol. 21. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
Attachments
The Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987. Vol. 9. Mircea Eliade, ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, pp. 150-153.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. Micropaedia. 15th ed. Vol. 1. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., p. 516.
. 1989. Micropaedia. 15th ed. Vol. 7. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., pp. 762-763.
. 1989. Macropaedia. 15th ed. Vol. 21. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., p. 903.
