KALEIDOSCOPE

Sabeans struggle for religious survival in Iraq

by Alain Bommenel
BAGHDAD, Jan 11 (AFP)

Among the masses in the immense Iraqi capital, the last few thousand members of an
ancient and mysterious religious sect are fighting to preserve their culture.
Their origins remain obscure, with scholarly opinion divided over whether they are an
adapted pre-Christian practice or an off-shoot of Christianity.
The Sabeans themselves, originally from southern and south-eastern Iraq, say their religion
is pre-Christian.
They regard Jesus Christ as a Sabean who deviated from his original beliefs and from their
holy book, the �ginza� (Aramaic for �treasure�).
This week saw the wedding of two sisters, Roa and Randa, to two brothers from another
Sabean family, Loai and Ayad. They were married in the sect�s only place of worship, or
�mandi�, in Baghdad.
Dressed in white robes, the two couples were entirely submerged in cold water taken from
the Tigris river that runs through the capital.
Above them stood the Sabean priests, barefoot, bearded, dressed in white and with palm
leaves tied around their hands.
Water plays a central role in the faith of the Sabeans, who once lived in the marshes of the
south. �It is the origin of life, the road to God. Water purifies us,� said 40-year-old Raad.
Sabeans believe in a world shared between hidden dark forces, who created it, and the
forces of light.
They believe that when they die their spirit embarks on a 45-day journey to the realm of light,
which they can enter once they have answered a series of questions.
Although an ancient belief, the younger generation have adopted the trappings of modern
life. In the courtyard of the mandi, the priests walked beside young girls dressed in jeans and
wearing heavy make-up.
�I lived in the south before. I came to Baghdad 50 years ago,� said 70-year-old Said,
grandfather of the two girls who married. �For many it is easier to worship here,� he said.
On the wall of the mandi, a poster announced the opening of a new school. But in fact the
younger generation are less and less interested in the sect they were born into.
�They�re less religious. They want an easier life,� Raad said.
At the entrance to the place of worship a picture has been put up showing the leaders of the
sect presenting a gift to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1994.
Even though they are a discreet sect, they, like everyone else, must maintain good relations
with the all-powerful leadership.
The sect is also facing a decline in numbers from mounting emigration to elsewhere in the
Middle East and to Europe, particularly Sweden and the Netherlands.
�Some believe it is better to live among Christians,� said Saad.
Sabean leaders say there as many as 100,000 faithful still in Iraq, but scholars estimate their
real numbers at no more than 10,000.
It is believed the relatively small communities managed to survive the centuries because of
their location in the southern marshes, an area largely cut-off and protected from the outside
world.
�We reject those who marry outside the community,� Raad said at the end of the marriage
ceremony. �We want to preserve our religion and protect it.�

Russians buy cars and homes as Christmas gifts to avoid tax law

by Marina Lapenkova
MOSCOW, Jan 6 (AFP)

Despite economic woes, wealthy Muscovites started celebrating the Russian Orthodox
Christmas by giving themselves cars and apartments before the introduction of a law forcing
them to declare purchases over 4,000 dollars.
The law, signed by President Boris Yeltsin and due to come into force on January 24, is
aimed at giving tax inspectors a clearer view of the real revenues of the population.
Tax officials hope it will help identify tax dodgers, including a number of people who �forget�
to declare their incomes.
Russians were only obliged to pay taxes themselves after the collapse of the Communist
regime in 1991, before which the Soviet state taxed them at source.
After the fiscal D-Day, individuals will have to declare any transaction worth more than the
value of 1,000 minimum monthly wages (around 4,000 dollars).
They will also be obliged to declare purchases they make during the coming year which
together total more than 3,000 minimum wages (around 12,000 dollars).
However, the minimum monthly wage is fixed at only 83.5 rubles and remains a largely
theoretical figure, with most Russians, even the worst off, earning One Moscow car salesman
in a large showroom said that at the end of December, Japanese Nissan autos and Swedish
Saabs were �selling like hot cakes,� with sales up 20 percent on the same period last year.
He added: �Clients tell me quite openly that they are hurrying to buy before the famous law
comes into force.�
Staff at the central car dealers Presnya in central Moscow are also pleased with
developments.
�Normally there are no clients after December 20: they head off abroad to celebrate the
holidays,� said saleswoman Svetlana.
She added: �But this year our Mitsubishi cars (costing between 27,000 and 55,000 dollars)
went one after the other, with customers sometimes not even bothering to look at the
colour.�
Several real estate agents have likewise reported a bumper festive season.
�It is not only the end of the financial year which has led to this slight rise in real estate
sales,� said Andrei Soborov, director of the agents Moscow Homes.
�We have the approach of January 24 to thank for this 15 percent rise on last year�s figures,�
he said.
Despite the economic crisis which has been raging since August and which has seen the
ruble lose 70 percent of its value, three-room flats in Moscow were selling like Christmas
trees at the end of last month.
Soborov said he expected an influx of even more customers just before the new law comes
into effect.
He said: �It�s in the Russian character to wait until the last minute.�
He estimated that another group of buyers would be waiting to snap up properties after the
law is introduced, taking advantage of lower prices as the number of purchasers dwindles.
�And don�t worry about the revenue declarations: the people are used to finding ways of
sidestepping the rules,� he added.
Alexei, a mechanic, echoed the sentiment.
�What can the law do if I say I bought my new car or second home together with my parents,
my friends or friends of my parents?� he said.
Ultimately, nobody has forgotten the famous quip by the Russian writer of the last century,
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, who said: �The severity of Russia�s laws is softened by the non-
obligatory nature of their application.�