There was just posted on the Mandaean list-serve, a letter from Dr. Gregory Stanton, the President of Genocide Watch, in Washington D.C. He is deeply concerned about the Mandaeans and believes them to be experiencing at least the sixth stage of genocide.
Please, join the Mandaean Emergency Campaign to help the humanitarian lobby for their immediate relocation as refugees of the Iraqi War. They are a religious minority, the last Gnostics with religious roots in antiquity. They are a baptizing community. One of their leaders is John the Baptist. They have some communities in the diaspora, mainly in big cities like Detroit and Houston, communities that are willing to help the Iraqi Mandaeans relocate.
3 comments:
What stage were they in four years ago?
Four years ago, any group in Iraq which self-identified as non-Arab was 2nd class by definition, as far as I can tell. Religious issues were irrelevant, only ethnic identification and not displeasing Saddam Hussein and his government were important.
Now ethnic identity remains important, as the Mandaeans are a non-Arabic people. This is compounded by the growing Islamic fundamentalism, both Sunni and Shi'ite. So unlike four years ago, when the Mandaeans might be persecuted for saying that they weren't Arab, they are now subject to persecution and death for not being Muslim.
Compare the situation of the Assyrians and Chaldeans, and check out ZindaMagazine.com
Do believe that Jesus Christ was married? And if so how would you explain that to those who dont believe.
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