Sweden is home to one of the largest communities of the Mandaean ethnoreligious group, numbering between 10,000-20,000 people (2019). By comparison, there are now only about 3,000 Mandaeans in Iraq. Several thousand Swedish Mandaeans were granted asylum status as refugees from persecution in Iraq and Syria.
History
The first Mandaeans came to Sweden in the 1970s, including the al-Khafaji family who owned a goldsmithing business on Kungsgatan in Stockholm. The first Mandaean religious worship took place in 1997 when a tarmida (Mandaean priest) from the Netherlands was visiting. Following the Iraq War, there was an influx of refugees from Iraq.
Religion
As of 2018, there was a total of 8 tarmidas living in Sweden under the leadership of 2 genzibras (bishop or high priest). One of the genzibras is Salwan Alkhamas.
The first Mandaean place of worship, or mandi, was consecrated in Sandviken in 2003. Most Mandaeans in Sweden live in Scania in the south of the country, and in the Stockholm region, with a growing population of about 1,500 people in Södertälje.
On September 15, 2018, the first purpose built place of worship, Beth Manda Yardna, was consecrated in Dalby, Scania, Sweden.
Organizations
The Mandeiska Sabeiska Samfundet (Mandaean Sabian Society) is the main organization overseeing the Mandaean community in Sweden. In 2003, the Mandeiska Sabeiska Samfundet built Europe's first mandi in Sandviken. It has also built Mandaean cemeteries in Tyresö and in Södertälje.
Demographics
Population
Historical census estimates of the Mandaean population in Sweden based on data from the SST and the Mandeiska Samfundet: 2012: 8,080 2015: 10,000 2016: 17,500 (Routledge) 2018: 9,000 to 11,000 (belonging to 14 clans) 2019: 20,000 (Routledge) In contrast, Sedrati (2018) estimates that the number of Mandaeans remaining in Iraq and Iran is around 3,000.
According to Tarmida Qais Edan, as of 2018, there are over 3,000 Mandaeans in southern Sweden, including approximately 1,200–1,300 in Malmö and 900 in Lund.
Most Mandaeans in Sweden are from Iraq, with very few Iranian Mandaeans living in Sweden. There are only a few Mandaean priests living in Sweden, including Tarmida Qais Edan, Ganzibra Salwan (from Basra), and Ganzibra Salam. Qais Edan, originally from Baghdad with parents originating from Amarah, left Iraq in 2000. He moved to Jordan, then to Germany and on to Sweden.
Distribution
There are active Mandaean associations in Stockholm Municipality (including in Vällingby), Malmö, Södertälje, Lund, Örebro, Sandviken, Eskilstuna, Landskrona, and Västerås.
See also
Mandaean Australians
Mandaean Americans
Mandaeans in Iraq (Arabic Wikipedia)