Salah Choheili

"The Mandaeans of Iraq are in terrible distress and therefore many of them left their towns and escaped because food had almost disappeared. There is no security and [civil war] skirmishing continues, leading to massacres and slaughter. The Iraqi ruler is called Saddam Hussein. Due to him, many Mandaeans have departed Iraq to settle in Australia, America and Europe. O ye ganzibras, disciples and Mandaeans. Some Iraqi disciples have [already] changed the faith (i.e., rituals and tradition) because they no longer baptize in the river."

"Sheikh Salah ... traveled there [to Australia] twice to perform rituals for the emigrated Mandaeans and to ready himself for his move. The sheikh’s travels astonished me. The risk! On his first air segment, Sheikh Salah ate nothing but stopped over in Malaysia to rest, eat, and purify himself. Coming from Ahwaz, he had entered the Tehran airport carrying two bottles of water from the river Karun, only to have one bottle rendered useless by a customs official who suspected liquor. The presence of Mandaean leaders, with their white clothes and dignified long beards, made a deep impression on the airport personnel, who whisked them through the electronic controls."