The Ottoman Occupation and the Persecution of the Mandaeans- The Case of the Arrest of the Sabian Leader, Sheikh Ṣahan and his sons.

Abstract

The pursuit of cooperation among Middle Eastern nations is the right path to peace and prosperity, but learning from past injustices, especially those tied to occupation and oppression of Iraqi people by neighboring countries, is an urgent intellectual necessity to prevent their recurrence.

In this study, we shed light on certain manifestations of the oppression experienced by the people of Mesopotamia during periods of occupation by various Turkish groups. Our focus, however, is on the persecution faced by the Sabians Mandaeans community during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, as they constituted the most vulnerable components of Iraqi society. Among the most grievous acts of oppression suffered by the Mandaeans was the elimination of their religious leader, Sheikh Sahn, and his sons who were also clerics, under the accusation of aiding the Iraqi tribal revolt against the Ottoman occupation, particularly during the uprising led by Sheikh Hassan Khayon Al-Asadi. This Ottoman campaign against the Sabians Mandaeans coincided with similar campaigns targeting the Yazidis and Christians, clearly indicating a deliberate Ottoman policy aimed at eradicating all religious minorities. The study will also address British policies, which exploited Ottoman injustices against the Iraqi people, in their quest for the occupation of Iraq.

The accelerating events in the region, and the emergence of renewed attempts at domination and perhaps even occupation, compel us to reread history: so that those who do not know may learn, and those who have forgotten may remember.