Dissimulation or Assimilation? The Case of the Mandæans

Abstract

One of the smallest ethno-religious groups native to Iraq and Iran, the Mandaeans can claim to be one of the region's longest surviving traditions as the last remaining Gnostic religion from Late Antiquity. Their survival is as puzzling as it is remarkable. According to their own traditions, they have always lived in close proximity to members of other faiths, never composing more than a small fraction of the population, and were always subject to the rule of others. Perhaps for this reason, the Mandaeans have often presented their faith to outsiders in a manner that emphasizes common practices and shared beliefs, while still establishing barriers to full assimilation. While this strategy may have sustained the Mandxans as a community over the centuries, it has also repeatedly failed to protect them in times of intense sectarian conflict and is beginning to break down as Mandaeans increasingly spread throughout the world.

An Ethnic Language and Culture without a Safe Enclave: A Sociocultural Perspective

“…The presence of the Sabean Mandaeans in the region dates back to a period before the advent of Islam (Häberl 2013). Their numbers decreased gradually because they faced several persecutions and other discrimination acts at the hands of Sassanians in 273 A.D. (Mandaean Associations Union 2009).…”

“…The contact between Mandaic and Arabic and their cultures has been conducive to results favourable to Arabic (Arnold 2000;Häberl 2009Häberl , 2013. However, the Mandaean culture, although in contact with the Arabic one, could have another status.…”