Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

is home to one of the largest communities of the

Mandaean Mandaeans ( ar, المندائيون ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( ) or simply as Sabians ( ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism. They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet. They ...

ethnoreligious group An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of people who are unified by a common religious and ethnic background. Furthermore, the term ethno-religious group, along with ethno-regional and ethno-linguistic groups, is a s ...

, numbering between 10,000-20,000 people (2019).Hanish, Shak (2019). The Mandaeans In Iraq. In By comparison, there are now only about 3,000 Mandaeans in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Several thousand Swedish Mandaeans were granted asylum status as refugees from persecution in Iraq and Syria.

History

The first Mandaeans came to Sweden in the 1970s, including the al-Khafaji family who owned a

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

ing business on Kungsgatan in Stockholm. The first Mandaean religious worship took place in 1997 when a ''

tarmida A tarmida (singular form in myz, ࡕࡀࡓࡌࡉࡃࡀ, lit=disciple, plural form in myz, ࡕࡀࡓࡌࡉࡃࡉࡀ ; fa, ترمیدا; ar, ترميذة) is a junior priest in Mandaeism. Ganzibras, or head priests, rank above tarmidas.Drower, E ...

'' (Mandaean priest) from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

was visiting. Following the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, there was an influx of refugees from Iraq.

Religion

As of 2018, there was a total of 8 ''

s'' living in Sweden under the leadership of 2 ''

genzibra A ganzibra (singular form in myz, ࡂࡀࡍࡆࡉࡁࡓࡀ, plural form in myz, ࡂࡀࡍࡆࡉࡁࡓࡉࡀ , literally 'treasurer' in Mandaic; fa, گنزورا) is a high priest in Mandaeism. Tarmidas, or junior priests, rank below the ganzib ...

s'' (bishop or high priest). One of the genzibras is Salwan Alkhamas. The first Mandaean place of worship, or ''

mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...

'', was consecrated in

Sandviken Sandviken is a locality and the seat of Sandviken Municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden with 39,234 inhabitants in 2019. It is situated about 25 km west of Gävle and lies approximately 190 km north of Stockholm. The rail journey t ...

in 2003. Most Mandaeans in Sweden live in

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

in the south of the country, and in the

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

region, with a growing population of about 1,500 people in

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea ...

. On September 15, 2018, the first purpose built place of worship,

Beth Manda A mandi, mashkhanna ( ), or beth manda (''beit manda'', , 'house of knowledge'; also ''bimanda'') is a Mandaean building that serves as a community center and place of worship. A mandi is traditionally built on the banks of a yardna, or flowing ...

Yardna, was consecrated in Dalby, Scania, Sweden.

Organizations

The ''Mandeiska Sabeiska Samfundet'' (Mandaean Sabian Society) is the main organization overseeing the Mandaean community in Sweden. In 2003, the Mandeiska Sabeiska Samfundet built Europe's first mandi in

. It has also built Mandaean cemeteries in Tyresö and in

Demographics

Population

Historical census estimates of the Mandaean population in Sweden based on data from the SST and the Mandeiska Samfundet: *2012: 8,080 *2015: 10,000 *2016: 17,500 (Routledge) *2018: 9,000 to 11,000 (belonging to 14 clans) *2019: 20,000 (Routledge) In contrast, Sedrati (2018) estimates that the number of Mandaeans remaining in Iraq and Iran is around 3,000.

Distribution

There are active Mandaean associations in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has ...

Landskrona Landskrona (old da, Landskrone) is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona t ...

, and

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

References

External links

Iraqi Refugees in Sweden: A Mandaean Priest Speaks
YouTube
Mandaean Refugees are Stuck Between Iraq and a Hard Place
Vice Magazine
Mandaean Sweden
Ustream
The Nasoraeans Mandaeans in Sweden
YouTube {{Mandaeism footer Ethnic groups in Sweden Mandaeans Religion in Sweden