Mandaean Americans
Total population
5,000–7,000[1][2][3][4][5]
Regions with significant populations
California, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, and other states
Languages
Iraqi Arabic, Persian, Mandaic, American English
Religion
Mandaeism

Mandaeans in the United States refers to people born in or residing in the United States of Mandaean origin, or those considered to be ethnic Mandaeans.

Immigration

Mandaean immigration to the United States has been occurring for decades. Surges in Mandaean immigration happened following the Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War, 2003 invasion of Iraq, and 2006 bombing of the al-Aksari Mosque.[6]

The Iraq War destabilized the country, causing Mandeans to be targeted by Islamic extremists.[7][4] In 2007, The New York Times ran an op-ed piece in which Swarthmore College professor Nathaniel Deutsch called for the George W. Bush administration to take immediate action to preserve the Mandaean community and culture.[8] The same year, Iraqi Mandaeans were given refugee status by the US State Department. Since then, more than 2,500 have entered the US.[9][10] The community in Worcester is believed to be the largest in the United States and the second largest community outside the Middle East.[2] About 2,600 Mandaeans from Iran have been settled in Texas since the Iraq War.[11]

Communities

In the United States, the largest populations of Mandaeans are in Texas and Massachusetts, with additional mid-sized communities in California and Michigan. There are Mandaean communities centered in:

Notable people

  • Suhaib Nashi, of the Mandaean Society of America in New Jersey[7]
  • Lamia Abbas Amara (1929–2021), Iraqi-born poet who lived in San Diego
  • Nasser Sobbi in New York (d. 2018), who owned the largest private collection of Mandaean manuscripts in the United States[14]
  • Sinan Abdullah in New York

See also

References

  1. 1 2 MacQuarrie, Brian (August 13, 2016). "Embraced by Worcester, Iraq's persecuted Mandaean refugees now seek 'anchor'—their own temple". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Moulton, Cyrus. "Mandaean community opens office in Worcester". telegram.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ Sly, Liz (November 16, 2008). "'This is one of the world's oldest religions, and it is going to die.'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Busch, Matthew; Ross, Robyn (February 18, 2020). "Against The Current". Texas Observer. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ Farhan, Salam; al Roomi, Layla; Nashi, Suhaib (October 2015). "Submission on behalf of the Mandaean Human Rights Group to the Human Rights Committee's Periodic Review of Iraq in October 2015" (PDF). OHCHR. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Ancient Iraqi Mandaean sect struggles to keep culture in Michigan". MLive.com. Associated Press. July 1, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Newmarker, Chris (February 17, 2007). "Because of Iraq war, a small religious group suffers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ Deutsch, Nathaniel (October 6, 2007). "Save the Gnostics". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Contreras, Russell (July 25, 2009). "Ancient Iraqi religious group settles in U.S." Pocono Record. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ Bell, Matthew (October 6, 2016). "These Iraqi immigrants revere John the Baptist, but they're not Christians". The World. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Petrishen, Brad. "Worcester branch of Mandaean faith works to plant roots". telegram.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. ↑ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002), The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people (PDF), Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195153859
  13. ↑ "Gallery: Who Are the Mandaeans?". Magicvalley.com. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  14. ↑ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2023). 1800 Years of Encounters with Mandaeans. Gorgias Mandaean Studies. Vol. 5. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-4632-4132-2. ISSN 1935-441X.
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