WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (IslamOnline) - Announcing during a meeting Saturday night with the head and prominent members of the Sabaen faith, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared that he will build a Sabaen Temple in Baghdad, reports Gulf Daily today.
Praising the Sabaen religion and pledging the construction of a temple for them, Saddam said that he would grant equal status to Sabaeans on par with Muslims and Christians.
"We will set up a temple for you," Saddam told Sattar Jabbar Hilio, leader of the sect, and his followers.
Saddam affirmed, "Iraqis have religious freedom, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Sabaeans."
The Sabaeans, who are neither Muslims nor Christians, say that they number around 80,000 in Iraq, 15,000 of whom reside in southern Iraq. They speak the Mandaean language and their books are written in Sabaean script.
Iraqi historians claim the Sabean faith was founded in Palestine in the first two centuries in Palestine. The followers later fled to Yemen and later immigrated to Mesopotamia in present day Iraq.
There is disagreement among scholars regarding the Sabeans mentioned in the Qur'an, with some scholars claiming that modern day Sabeans are impersonators of those mentioned in the holy book.
In gratitude for the temple building, Hilio presented Saddam with a first ever translation of their holy book, Kanza Raba, in Arabic.
