SABAEAN MANDAEAN REFUGEES TORN BETWEEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 000852 SIPDIS LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019 TAGS: SOCI PREL PREF PHUM SY IZ SUBJECT: SABAEAN MANDAEAN REFUGEES TORN BETWEEN RESETTLEMENT AND PRESERVING IRAQI ROOTS Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Chuck Hunter for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Leaders of the Sabaean Mandaean ("Mandaeans," collectively) refugee community in Syria told us December 7 they are concerned that the recent departure of 200 Mandaean families from Iraq for Syria may be a tipping point in their community's fight to survive in Iraq, the birthplace of their ancient religion. The 200 families who recently arrived in Syria join the nearly 5,000 Mandaean refugees in Syria and 6,000 in Jordan, leaving fewer than 10,000 Mandaeans in Iraq. Community leaders in Syria say Mandaeans here are torn between seeking resettlement in the West and the conviction they need to return to Iraq in order to save their community from extinction. END SUMMARY. MANDAEANS FLEE TO SYRIA IN FACE OF VIOLENCE IN IRAQ ¶2. (C) Sabaean Mandaean Spiritual Leader Satar Jabar Hilou told us December 7 that an additional 200 Mandaean families, consisting of over 600 individuals, recently left southern Iraq for Syria in the face of continued violence against their community in Iraq. The 600 new refugees joined over 11,000 refugees already in Syria and Jordan. Hilou said his community faced two main challenges in Iraq: 1) Lack of "attention and protection" from the Iraqi government; and 2) religious edicts from some Sunni and Shi'a leaders labeling Mandaeans as "nonbelievers" and "filthy." The Mandaeans, numbering some 70,000 worldwide, describe themselves as pacifist followers of Adam, Noah, and John the Baptist. "We were born as a community in Iraq before Christianity or Islam were there, and we are mentioned in the Koran three times, but still some in Iraq are rejecting us," Hilou said. ¶3. (C) Hilou was particularly critical of Shi'a cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for "not being clear about us" and for failing decisively to counter fatwas from some Shi'a religious scholars labeling Mandaeans as "filthy." Unlike their Muslim brethren, he added, the pacifist Mandaeans had not formed militias to defend themselves in the central and southern Iraqi villages where they live. Hilou related the Mandaeans also faced false impressions that their community was "unduly wealthy" because many Mandaeans in Iraq were jewelers. ¶4. (C) The Mandaean leader said that under the Saddam Hussein regime the Mandaeans faced "isolated cases of discrimination," but "now it has become a regular phenomenon." He blamed the Iraqi government for not paying attention to their community's plight or providing them security, particularly in smaller towns and villages. "Our people continue to be attacked by Sunni and Shi'a extremists, our children are being forced to study Islam in schools, and our girls are being pressured to wear the hijab. This is why our people are leaving Iraq," he said. MANDAEAN REFUGEES FEEL SAFE IN SYRIA, BUT WORRY ABOUT COMMUNITY'S FUTURE ¶5. (C) Leaders of the Mandaean refugee community said they felt safer in Syria, but worried they lacked a long-term future in the country. Kamal Mansour and Ureifan al-Muhalhel al-Sabti, two prominent Mandaean leaders in the Iraqi refugee community, said they are grateful to the SARG for allowing so many Iraqi refugees to take up residence in Syria. "Here, we don't face the problems we do in Iraq. There is no discrimination against us because of our religion," Mansour said. Al-Sabti agreed, noting his community felt accepted by Iraqi refugees in Syria, as well. "Here in Damascus, Iraqis look at us only as Iraqis. No one seems to care who is Sunni and Shi'a. But that is not the case inside Iraq," he noted. ¶6. (C) Mansour and al-Sabti said Mandaean refugees face a choice between eventually returning to Iraq or seeking resettlement in the West. Iraqi Embassy media attache Ahmed Ubaid echoed GOI statements that Iraqi Mandaeans are not interested in resettlement but rather are focused on returning to their homeland. "Ask them yourself. They are an integral part of Iraq, and they all want to go back to Iraq," he concluded. However, the Mandaean leaders disagreed with the GOI's assessment. "Honestly, right now, no one wants to return to Iraq. People are too scarred by the violence," Mansour said. Hilou and the others worried that if their coreligionists disperse from the community's ancient homeland in Iraq it may be difficult to keep the faith alive. Despite these concerns, they said they understood and supported their followers' desire to resettle in the West rather than return to Iraq. "There is too much violence against us in Iraq, and we can't stay in Syria and Jordan indefinitely," he said. DAMASCUS 00000852 002 OF 002 FRUSTRATION WITH RESETTLEMENT PROCESS ¶7. (C) The Mandaean leaders expressed concern that resettlement numbers for their community were small given the overall size of the Mandaean population in Syria. Acknowledging Iraqi refugees faced the same challenges in the resettlement process regardless of religious affiliation, they criticized host countries for refusing some applicants because of past obligatory service in the Iraqi Army. They related stories of applicants who had admitted paying ransom to militias in order to free kidnapped relatives, only to be refused resettlement on the grounds they had provided material support to terrorists. ¶8. (C) Mandaean applicants for resettlement were particularly frustrated by the large number of "needs further review" adjudications Iraqi refugees receive from host-country interviewers. The Mandaean leaders explained many refugees preferred to be refused so their applications could be considered by other potential host countries. "They are many of us who have been waiting for over a year because they say our applications need further review, so we are in a constant state of waiting," Mansour said. They argued Mandaeans deserved to receive special attention from potential host countries because they would be less safe than Sunni and Shi'a refugees if they returned to Iraq. "Our situations are not the same," Hilou said. ¶9. (C) Hilou stated he hoped to raise awareness of his community's plight in a bid to gain sympathy from countries that might take them. While Western Europe is an attractive option for many Mandaeans, he said, most prefer going to the U.S. where there are established Mandaean communities and civic organizations. "If you ask most Mandaeans in Syria where they want to go, they will answer New Jersey, Michigan, or Texas," he concluded. ¶10. (C) COMMENT: Despite GOI assertions to the contrary, most Mandaean refugees are seeking resettlement. With their community's numbers in Iraq already diminished by almost 70% since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, the recent arrival of 200 families in Syria is a significant blow to the community's future in Iraq. While Mandaean leaders grapple with the challenge of keeping their faith alive as their followers disperse from their traditional homeland, they will continue their quest to convince potential host countries their community faces special circumstances and acute discrimination in Iraq meriting special attention for their resettlement applications. HUNTER