534 MANDAEAN LITERATURE
liturgical recitations, concluding with a handclasp (kushta) between the
layperson and the priest. Preparations for the masiqta, as well as the rite itself,
are highly complex and cannot be described in detail here. The ceremony
occurs in a cult hut (mandi) built near a river or stream. Important elements
include the priestly recitation of hymns, the sacrifice of a dove (which sym-
bolizes the spirit), and the ritual preparation of small unleavened loaves called
fatiria, as well as other foodstuffs. The purpose of the masiqta is to unite soul
and spirit and help them enter the world of light.
There are three classes of Mandaean priests, the tarmide ("disciples" or
"students"), the more lofty ganzibre ("treasurers"), and the rish ama ("head of
the people"). Members of the priesthood are called Nasoreans, a name that
once applied to all Mandaeans. Priests wear white garments mirroring those
worn by beings in the world of light. Today all priests are male, but there is
evidence of female priests in the past. Mandaean priests must be physically
and ritually pure. They cannot be eunuchs or circumcised, must be married,
and must avoid pollution through contact with improperly slaughtered meat,
stagnant water, or menstruating women. The Mandaean valorization of mar-
riage and procreation contrasts sharply with certain western gnostic sources,
which portray sexual intercourse as a curse of the demiurge. In Mandaean
mythology, sexual desire and pregnancy are given to humankind by the savior
figure Hibil (Abel). While priests are held to a higher standard of ritual purity,
all Mandaeans are expected to adhere to a rigorous ethical standard, which en-
courages the giving of alms (zidqa) and condemns the use of weapons.RECENT HISTORY AND TODAY
In the aftermath of the Muslim conquest, Mandaeans were identified with
the Sabians, a "people of the book" {'ahl al-kitab) mentioned three times
in the Qur'an. Beginning in the ninth century, however, a pagan group in
Mesopotamia known as the Harranians adopted the title Sabians in an effort
to gain protection under Islamic law. From this point on, Muslim authorities
frequently conflated the Mandaeans with the "Sabians of Harran" and con-
demned them as star worshipers. Over the centuries this identification has
led to periodic persecutions of the Mandaeans. In response, the Mandaeans
have vehemently denied the charges of idolatry and defended their status as a
protected people.
At present, the status of the Mandaeans in Iraq and Iran is not entirely
clear. The long conflict between the two countries, the Gulf War, the Iraq War