KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region-- Once a thriving community among Iraq's myriad of ancient religious groups, the country's Sabaean population is now facing challenges unmatched in its long and difficult history. In the 1970s and 80s as Iraq went through a profound economic boom, despite the occasional bloody wars of the time, the Sabaeans, like most other minority groups, were still a relatively integrated community with nearly 10,000 families, the majority of whom lived in Baghdad, Nineveh Plains and Kirkuk. Ironically, the overthrow of Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, whose brutal reign often resulted in systematic suppression of the Kurds and the Shiites, was paradoxically detrimental for the survival of religious minority groups such as the Sabaeans, the Shabaks and to some extents the Yezidis. Many of these groups, some of which have been in Iraq even before the country converted to Islam in the 7th century, were assaulted almost immediately by the dominant religious groups after Iraq plunged into a bloody conflict following former regimes' ouster. Decades later, these groups have seen their number decline dramatically and their communities increasingly dissolved and fragmented. The already strained conditions worsened when the Islamic State militants rose to power in areas where the Sabaeans and other such religious groups were residing. "When the Daesh came, things started to change more rapidly for the Sabaean people. Many chose to migrate. Many still want to migrate. There are poor security conditions and there are no jobs for us, especially for our young people," Sabaean public figure, Loai Abdulrazaq told Rudaw. Abdulrazaq was referring to the Sabaean community in Kirkuk which is now smaller than 50 families. He said they had been more than 200 families only a few years ago. Abdulrazaq who sees a similar pattern in other areas of the country with Sabaean population, says the ongoing migration could definitely put a tragic end to the history of his people in Iraq. The rapid decline of Sabaean population in the country has become a theme for the university students in Kirkuk who have been assigned to make scientific research into the cause of their migration. Iezaz Abbas, who studies at the department for religious studies in Kirkuk told Rudaw she and her fellow students had decided to explore the Sabaean faith and then give an explanation as to why so many of them have decided to migrate despite the relative democracy that the Iraqi constitution has guaranteed. The Sabaeans along with the Jews and the Christians have been mentioned in the Quran as "the People of the Book" who share the same god with the Muslims and are seen as "believers." Some scholars believe the Sabaeans have converted to Islam but modern researches have tried to challenge that. Abdulrazaq says they have urged the Iraqi parliament to empower the Sabaeans by guaranteeing them a seat in the Iraqi parliament and other local legislative bodies.
