Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/021404dnreliraqibaptists.2502e.html

On February 13, 2004 The Dallas Morning News ran a feature article on Iraq's "homegrown Baptists," a religious sect known as the Mandaeans: "They call themselves the original Baptists, but any similarities to Americans of that description pretty much end with the waterborne ritual they share...Having survived thousands of years under harsh circumstances, the Mandaean religion risks being erased in a region where Islam is, by far, the dominant religion, many Mandaeans say. In some respects, they credit the nonsectarian government of ousted leader Saddam Hussein with helping protect and preserve their faith when few others would. It is unclear how the Mandaeans will fare under any future Iraqi government. The word Sabaean comes from the Aramaic-Mandic word saba, or 'immersed in water,' according to the group's Web site, www.mandaeans.org. Mandaean comes from the word menda, or 'knowledge.'...Their numbers are dwindling because birthrates among members are dropping, [Sheikh Jabbar Helu, the most senior Mandaean cleric,] said. He estimated there are only 100,000 to 150,000 Mandaeans worldwide, mostly concentrated in Iraq and Iran. At its peak before Christianity, it was among the most widely practiced religions in the world, he asserted."