Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

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I am not involved in this matter because I have constituents who are Sabean Mandeans. I have spoken in debates on matters involving religious minorities in Iraq raised by the member for Fowler, Mr Hayes. I did that on 30 May. In the context of that speech I also canvassed the situation relating to the Sabean Mandeans.

I think it is important to understand their very unique position in the world. It is a fact that they have been identified as the only surviving group representing the ancient Mediterranean movement known as Gnosticism, discovered by Western scholars in the 17th century, and the community survives in Iraq and Iran. The numbers in Iraq referred to and identified in the US State Department documentation dealing with religious minorities in Iraq estimates the size of the Sabean Mandean community varies, but 3,000 to 7,000 are now estimated to remain in-country, reduced from something of the order of 50,000 to 60,000 that were there in 2003. Of course, the UNHCR has also paid some regard, noting that in the refugee cases of Iraqis living outside of the country something of the order of three per cent were Sabean Mandeans. A similar report in relation to Iran reveals the numbers of people estimated to be Sabean Mandean is 5,000 to 10,000 persons residing in Kundistan, south-west of Iran.

Of course these people are descendants of those who are seen to have been the remaining followers of John the Baptist. But it has been noted that the origin is somewhat obscure. They appear to have originated in Palestine as a sect in the first century BC and they apparently absorbed material including the practice of baptism that had been begun by John the Baptist and early Christians.

It is a significant and unique community and one that I have been focused on from my earlier days as a minister for immigration and multicultural affairs. I was responsible in part for ensuring that within our programs for resettlement from the Middle East places were found for Sabean Mandeans. I have come to know a number of them, not as constituents, but the most interesting one is one that I find established a silver business in Liverpool, probably in the electorate of the member, nearby. He was quite an interesting man. You will now find him in the Gold Souk, Dubai as well. He has established premises there under the name Aussie Mike ' s and has been able to identify a unique niche linking his profession with the needs of the people who travel in that part of the world.

I did want in this debate to endorse the comments made by the member who spoke. In previous debates I have said that I am not desirous of seeing an evacuation of all of the Christians from the Middle East, even though many of them are under enormous pressure. That is of interest in relation to the Copts in Egypt that are now under significant pressure again. It is of interest particularly to the Syrian populations and the Chaldeans in Iraq, but it is also of interest to many of the orthodox followers in that region. I must say the Middle East Council of Christian Organisations has made the point that there needs to be a continuing presence of Christians in the Middle East. I do not know that the same can be said in relation to the Sabean Mandeans. I think it is part of the area in which they have obviously been brought up, but I think the size of the groups is such that they are enormously vulnerable.

There is a paper that is a little dated, November 2009, prepared by the Mandean Human Rights Group; it was their annual report. It is quite an interesting document because it outlines something of the demography and the history of the Mandeans. Honourable members who want to interest themselves in the matter might care to obtain a copy. I am happy to table this document when I have ceased referring to it, but it does go on to make the point that there is for the Sabean Mandeans the threat of extinction. When you take into account the very small number of Mandeans dispersed over a large number of countries as refugees, unless they have policies like we do that respect diversity and encourage people to maintain something of their history and their culture, in many other parts of the world they may find it difficult to survive. I am not saying that even where you have a tolerant society like we do that they may not be under a very significant threat even here in Australia.

What I found particularly challenging in reading the document was something of the plight that the community continues to suffer because they do outline in this particular report something of the experience that the Mandeans are facing in Iraq and Iran in particular. What you have in this document is the list of names of Mandeans murdered in 2003 and 2004. Looking at the documents, there were 18 in 2003, 34 in 2004 and 64 in 2005. When you continue through the documents you find that by the time we reach something of the order of 2009 there are named in total 163 people who have been murdered.

Similarly, the report includes lists of those people who have been kidnapped. Equally the numbers are of very considerable and real concern. There are the documented names of 271 Mandeans that had been subjected to kidnapping. Then you move to those who are threatened and assaulted and what you find is that there are recorded something of the order of 238 names of people who have been the subject of threats and assaults. With rape there are the names of 11 Mandeans. Of those who have been forced to conversion it is something of the order of 33. Those who have faced forceful displacement—and again the numbers are quite significant—and other forms of incidents have also been identified. What I think is significant is the relatively large numbers of people who have suffered in those ways in a population which is little more than several thousand people.

It gives you some idea of the enormity of the risks that they face and the threats that they are under. I think Australia does need to continue to keep the Mandeans very much in mind in the Refugee Resettlement Program. These are people who can be brought to Australia through the front door.

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