VZCZCXRO3225
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0589/01 0661252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071252Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2034
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000589 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: Status of Sabaeans in Kirkuk Province 
 
This is a PRT Kirkuk reporting cable. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  PRT officers traveled to the Sabaean temple in 
Kirkuk City in December to meet with Sabaean leaders.  The Sabaeans, 
numbering approximately 173 families in Kirkuk province, listed 
cultural and linguistic preservation, unemployment, and inclusion in 
governmental jobs as their primary concerns.  According to Sheik 
Raad, high priest in Kirkuk, Sabaeans in the South of Iraq are still 
being persecuted, with many fleeing to the Northern provinces.  The 
Sabaeans asked the PRT for help preserving their heritage, and asked 
about building a Sabaean cultural center in Kirkuk City.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) On December 10, PRT Team Leader and two PolOffs visited the 
Sabaean temple in Kirkuk City.  A Sabaean Bilingual Bicultural 
Advisor (BBA) on the PRT arranged the meeting through his contacts 
in the Sabaean community.  The Sabaean leaders expressed interest in 
meeting the PRT to discuss the concerns of the Sabaean community, 
and to open lines of communication with the USG.  NOTE:  According 
to the Sabaeans with whom we spoke, they are referred to as Sabaeans 
in Arabic, and Mandaeans in their native tongue (a dialect of 
Aramaic).  The two terms are interchangeable.  END NOTE. 
 
¶3. (U) The Sabaeans are an ancient people that traces its lineage 
back to the Sumerians.  The Sabaean religion, by their account, 
predates Christianity by one thousand years.  They revere John the 
Baptist as one of their greatest teachers, but trace the origins of 
their religion back to the time of Adam.  The Sabaean religion is 
often considered the last surviving Gnostic religion that is 
actively practiced in the world.  Water and baptism play an 
important role in all Sabaean religious practices, and until 
recently all religious activities were held at rivers. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Sabaean Temple in Kirkuk is located in the Southeast 
sector of the city in a predominantly Arab area called Hai Al Dubat. 
 The Sabaean compound consists of a two meeting halls, a small 
prayer pool, a small school house, and a grassy area.  The compound 
is surrounded by a 6-7 foot wall on all sides. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In the meeting hall, Sheik Raad, the head priest, addressed 
a congregation of approximately 50 Sabeans and the PRT.  He stated 
that the Sabaeans are in danger of losing their cultural and 
linguistic heritage.  Under Saddam Hussein the Sabaeans were 
prevented from speaking their language, now there are only three or 
four speakers of the ancient Sabaean tongue left in Iraq (one of 
them in the congregation in Kirkuk, a very old man).  Sabaeans in 
the South of Iraq are still being persecuted by Islamist Shia 
groups, and many are fleeing to Kirkuk, Erbil, and Suleimaniya.  By 
his estimate, there are approximately 173 Sabaean families in Kirkuk 
province now.  Sheik Raad complained that the Sabaeans are not 
getting a chance to play a role in Iraqi society, and they desire 
more government jobs.  He did admit that the inclusion of Safaa 
Ibrahim, a local Sabaean, on the Kirkuk City Council is a 
significant step forward. 
 
¶6. (U) Other Sabaeans also addressed the PRT in the meeting hall. 
One young man stood up and stated that many Sabaeans are well 
educated, but are unable to find jobs due to discriminatory hiring 
practices.  Others stated that Sabaeans are underrepresented in the 
Iraqi police and other higher level governmental positions. 
 
¶7. (U) Following the assembly in the meeting hall, Sheik Raad led 
the PRT outside to the prayer pool where most of the Sabaean 
religious practices are held.  Until the 1970's Sabaeans in Iraq 
held all religious ceremonies at rivers.  This practice went away 
Qheld all religious ceremonies at rivers.  This practice went away 
when the rivers in Iraq became too polluted to hold baptisms.  Now 
most Sabaeans in Iraq use pools of water where an inflow and outflow 
system keeps the water moving.  The flowing of water, similar to a 
river, is an important part of the Sabaean religion as it reflects 
the constantly flowing cycle of life. 
 
¶8. (U) Sheik Raad then led the PRT into the second meeting room; a 
large domed structure richly furnished with gold colored couches and 
polished wooden tables.  At the front of this room was a raised 
platform with two glass cases.  The first glass cased contained the 
Sabaean Holy Book, written in Aramaic.  The second glass case held a 
statue of a wooden cross with a piece of cloth over it and an olive 
leaf.  The cross represents the four points of a compass, the cloth 
represents the vestments of John the Baptist, and the olive leaf 
represents sustenance.  The room also contained a large portrait of 
Sheik Dakheel, a famous Sabaean priest who worked hard in the mid 
20th century to keep the Sabaean people viable in Iraq. 
 
¶9. (U) Finally the PRT entered a small, sparsely furnished school 
house, containing a few large mostly empty book shelves and 
approximately twenty school chairs/desks.  Sheik Raad stated that 
the Sabaeans are attempting to keep their language alive by teaching 
it to the younger students in the congregation.  He complained that 
they do not have the resources to be successful in this endeavor. 
Sheik Raad asked the PRT for help in this area, and asked about the 
possibility of building a Sabaean cultural center in the city. Sheik 
 
BAGHDAD 00000589  002 OF 002 
 
 
Raad ended the visit by thanking the PRT for taking an interest in 
the plight of the Sabaeans and inviting it to observe a baptism or 
marriage ceremony sometime in the near future. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Comment:  The treatment of and attitude toward the 
Sabeans by the other Iraqis will be a good barometer of respect for 
the rights of other minorities (whether religious or otherwise) in 
the province.  If the non-Sabeans support the proposed Sabean 
cultural center (by tolerating its existence, or better yet, by 
supporting the use of government funds to create and maintain it), 
it will bode well for relations among the various ethnic and 
religious groups in the province.  While the Sabaeans are not 
directly threatened by any specific group in the Kirkuk, they lack 
political influence and their small community risks slowly 
disappearing from Iraq through emigration.  End comment. 
 
BUTENIS