Country: Iran

Group: Sabean Mandean

Date Finalized: 11/23/2021

Team: Hannah Goldman (lead), Johanna McCombs, Deneb Bobadilla, Nuri Son, and Li-Chen Hou

The Sabean Mandean in Iran have experienced a case of forced away. The evidence is given a 1 for data quality.

The Sabean Mandean are an ethnic and religious community following one of the oldest religions in the Middle East (Nofal et al., 2019; Dehkordi, 2020). Their beliefs prohibit them from armed self-defense. In 2003, Islamic militants targeted them and forced them to convert, leave, or die; many chose to leave Iraq (Dehkordi, 2020). The small community is now scattered around the world. Many aspects of their culture including their language and religious practices, are under the threat of extinction (Dehkordi, 2020). In fact, many Mandeans in Iraq report poor Mandaic language skills and Arabic has become the main language of communication though they still maintain many cultural religious practices (Nofal et al., 2019). There is little information of the Sabean Mandean in Iran though it is plentiful in Iraq. Because the two countries are so close and share a border, it is likely the Sabean Mandean in Iran experience similar conditions. One news source states that in Iran, they are not allowed to register Mandean names for their children, cannot be government employees, and Sabean Mandeans face problems when enrolling in universities (Dehkordi, 2020). The lack of information from credible sources about Sabean Mandeans in Iran specifically, gives the data quality a one.

Sources

  1. Dehkordi (2020). A Mandaean Priest’s Dashed Hopes for Change in Iran.  IranWire | خانه. Retrieved November 15, 2021 from https://iranwire.com/en/features/8121
  2. Nofal, M., Dweik, B., & Al-Obaidi, M. (2019). An Ethnic Language and Culture without a Safe Enclave: A Socio-cultural Perspective. 19. Retrieved November 15, 2021 from https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.19.1.6
  3. Minority Rights Group (2015, June 19).. Sabian Mandaeans. Retrieved November 15, 2021 from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/sabian-mandaeans/