What is Mandaeism?
Q: What is Mandaeism?
A: Mandaeism is a monotheistic religion with a strong dualistic world view.
Q: Who are the followers of Mandaeism?
A: The followers of Mandaeism are known as the Mandaeans.
Q: Where was it originally practiced?
A: Originally, Mandaeism was practiced mainly in the countries around the lower Euphrates and Tigris rivers and the Shatt-al-Arab waterway. This area now belongs to Iraq and Khuzestan Province in Iran.
Q: Where do most of them live today?
A: Most Mandaeans have left that area and now live abroad, primarily in Europe, Australia and North America. There are thought to be between 60,000 and 70,000 Mandaeans worldwide.
Q: How has the 2003 Iraq War impacted their population?
A: The 2003 Iraq War reduced the population of Iraqi Mandaeans to approximately 5,000 by 2007. Most Iraqi Mandaeans fled to Syria and Jordan under threat of violence by Islamic extremists or due to war turmoil.
Q: Who has reported on their religion?
A: What has been reported about their religion has come primarily from outsiders such as J. Heinrich Petermann, Nicholas Siouffi, Lady Ethel Drower (Orientalists).
Q: Are they open about their beliefs or private about them?
A: The Mandeans have remained separate and intensely private about their beliefs.
