eo-Mandaic is the contemporary form of Mandaic, the language of the Mandæan religious community of Iraq and Iran. Many speakers have fled Iraq in the decade since the American invasion – formerly they had been free to practice their religion but in recent years the security situation had deteriorated, and only a fraction of the population remains. There are over a thousand Mandæan adherents now living in the United States, including some recent arrivals, concentrated in the New York area, Detroit, and Los Angeles. There may be as many as 300 in the New York area, with eastern Queens a focal point and Ali Baba a popular gathering spot, but few today speak the language.