Physician Strives to Save Religion of Iraqi Minority

By Ian Wilhelm

Four years after America's invasion of Iraq, constant violence and a deteriorating political environment have triggered a refugee disaster — and for a little-known religion, an unparalleled crisis.

Mandeanism, a Gnostic-related monotheistic belief that follows the teachings of John the Baptist, has called Iraq home for almost 2,000 years. But today it faces possible extinction as a result of the fracturing of its homeland.

The fate of the Mandeans is primarily in