Mary Beth Roderick of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights has forwarded me some information about the plight of the Mandaeans, an ancient Gnostic sect, in Iraq. It comes from John Clugston, a human rights lawyer, and the Sabian Mandaean Association of Australia:
The Sabian Mandæan Association in Australia has now been advised that in Falluja alone thirty-five (35) Mandæan families have been forcibly converted to Islam. This, of course, also involves forced circumcision. The Mandæan women and girls of these families have been forcibly married to Muslim men chosen by the Muslims. The suffering that has been inflicted is incalculable. I cannot imagine the depth of the misery, humiliation and degradation that the Muslims are inflicting upon these Mandæan women and girls.
The American Government is now de jure the Government of Iraq. There ought to be loud calls for the American Government (and the United Kingdom and Australian Governments and all other Governments with troops in Iraq) to rescue from Iraq all the Mandæans and Christians who have been forcibly converted to Islam.
It has also been reported to us that a group of Muslim men seized a seven (7) year old Mandæan boy, doused him in petrol and set him alight. As the child was being burnt to death the Muslims were running around shouting, “Burn the dirty infidel!”
It has also been reported to us that a young Mandæan man went into a restaurant and drank a glass of water. Some Muslims realised that he was Mandæan so they beat him severely, breaking many of his bones so that he needed to be hospitalised. The Muslims then broke the glass he had drank from because, according to Islam, it had been rendered ritually “unclean.”
We have been informed that there have been many incidents of this kind. Recently a Muslim magazine published a picture of Christ and His Mother next to an article claiming that all Christian homes were brothels making money from the American troops. We have been informed that on this occasion the American authorities intervened to stop the circulation of the magazine.