Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

is home to one of the largest communities of the Mandaean ethnoreligious group, numbering between 10,000-20,000 people (2019).Hanish, Shak (2019). The Mandaeans In Iraq. In "Från Jordanfloden till fristaden i Vällingby." ''Stockholmsfria.se.''
(Swedish) Retrieved 2018-07-20 By comparison, there are now only about 3,000 Mandaeans in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Several thousand Swedish Mandaeans were granted asylum status as refugees from persecution in Iraq and Syria. Sweden is currently home to the largest Mandaean community in Europe.

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. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

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

tarmida A tarmida (singular form in , plural form in ; ; ) is a junior Mandaean priest, priest in Mandaeism. Ganzibras, or head priests, rank above tarmidas.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ...

'' (Mandaean priest) from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

was visiting. Following the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, there was an influx of refugees from Iraq.

Priests

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

s'' living in Sweden under the leadership of 2 '' genzibras'' (bishop or high priest), up from a total of 8 Mandaean priests in 2015. Some of the ganzibras are Salwan Alkhamas (from

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

) and Walid Abdul Razzak. Other priests include Tarmida Qais Edan and Ganzibra Salam Ghaiad. Qais Edan, originally from Baghdad with parents originating from

Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...

, left Iraq in 2000. He moved to Jordan, then to Germany and on to Sweden.

Temples

Sweden's first Mandaean place of worship, or '' mandi'', was consecrated in Sandviken in 2003.

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södert� ...

also has a mandi. Rishama Salwan Alkhamas (also known as Salwan Shakir Khamas), based at the Södertälje mandi, is the

Rishama A rishama (''rišama''; ''riš-ama''), rishamma, or rishema (; ; ; ) is a religious patriarch in Mandaeism. It is the highest rank out of all the Mandaean clergical ranks. The next ranks are the ''ganzibra'' and ''tarmida'' priests (see Mandaean ...

of the Mandaean community in Sweden and Finland. In 2015, the Mandeiska Församlingen i Örebro (Mandaean Congregation of

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

) purchased a Christian church building in Hallsberg and converted it into a mandi. However, in 2021, they announced that the mandi would be moved to

, where more Mandaeans reside, and that the building would be sold. On September 15, 2018, Sweden's largest and first purpose-built mandi,

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 flowi ...

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 Sandviken. It has also built Mandaean cemeteries in Tyresö and in

Demographics

Population

Most Mandaeans in Sweden are from Iraq, with very few Iranian Mandaeans living in Sweden. 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 () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

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, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

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

."Religiösa minoriteter från Mellanöstern" pp114-134. ''The Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities.''
(Swedish) Retrieved 2018-07-22 According to

Tarmida A tarmida (singular form in , plural form in ; ; ) is a junior Mandaean priest, priest in Mandaeism. Ganzibras, or head priests, rank above tarmidas.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ...

Qais Edan, as of 2018, there are over 3,000 Mandaeans in southern Sweden, including approximately 1,200–1,300 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

and 900 in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

. 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

Stockholm Municipality Stockholm Municipality () or the City of Stockholm () is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It has the largest population of the 290 municipalities of the country, but one of the smallest areas, making it the second most ...

(including in Vällingby),

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sandviken,

Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 69,948 inhabitants in 2020, with a total population of 107,806 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality ...

, Landskrona, 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 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

, as well as in

Ytterby Ytterby () is a village on the Swedish island of Resarö, in Vaxholm Municipality in the Stockholm archipelago. Today the residential area is dominated by suburban homes. The name of the village translates to "outer village". Ytterby is the ...

and Osby.

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

Religion in Sweden