Scholars have discerned elements resembling those of the manichaean, zoroastrian, mandaean gnostic, jewish, christian especially nestorian, and muslim especially sufi traditions, but there is no evidence that the yezidi religion represents an offshoot of any one of them. Yazidis on the mountain of regions with significant populations iraq 650,000, germany armenia 35,272, georgia denmark 500, yazidi book of revelation yazidi black book the yazidis also yazidi, ezidi, yazdani community whose syncretic but ancient religion yazidism a kind of zoroastrianism and ancient mesop. Yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after enduring islamic state brutality. Everything you need to know about the yazidis, the iraqi ethnic group targeted by isis. The secular leader is a hereditary emir or prince, whereas a chief sheikh heads the religious hierarchy. Yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after. Allegations of genocide of the yazidi s committed by isis.
It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by nonyazidis. The two alleged yazidi holy books translated below are in fact forgeries, produced at an uncertain date by outsiders, incorporating genuine yazidi material but mixed in with outside elements. Aug 14, 2015 isis uses theology to justify rape, enslavement of yazidi women at least 3,144 yazidis are still being held by the selfstyled islamic state, the new york times reports. Meefa res is one of two books written in the style of a holy book of the yazidis in northern kurdish, the other being the yazidi book of revelation kiteba jilwe. Like most religious faithful, prayer is an important cornerstone of the yazidi religion. A brief history of the yazidis of iraq jstor daily. Aug 08, 2014 a very brief history of the yazidi and what theyre up against in iraq theres a long history behind the yazidi community, and there are more than enough explainers out on the internet ready to go. The black book and the other socalled scriptures have been systematically debunked by scholars as being false. The sacred scriptures of the yazidis are two short books written in arabic. Practices yazidis pray facing the sun at sunrise, noon, and sunset. Life after isis slavery for yazidi women and children. Kitab aljilwah book of revelation supposed to have been written by sheikh adi himself, and mishaf rash black. The book of revelation and black book remain, however, the most prominent texts associated with the socalled devil worshipers of mesopotamia.
This specific work covers the black book of the yezidis meshaf resh. The yazidi holy books are claimed to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res. Who are the yazidi people, and what are their beliefs. The author has no sense of the independent, phenomenologically autonomous nature of religion. The two religious books of the yazidis have arabic text. The yazidi religious centre and object of the annual pilgrimage is the tomb of sheikh. The religious practices of the yazidi community are some of the oldest in the world, and with so many. Aug 08, 2014 the yazidis are a small, misunderstood and longpersecuted religious sect rooted in the town of sinjar, in northern iraq, and also in parts of syria and turkey. The preeminent deity among the yezidi is melek tawus, the peacock angel. Their practices are more specific than some including saying prayers five times a day at specific times, dawn, sunrise, noon, afternoon, and sunset prayers.
Basics of the yazidi religion the yazidi religion is believed to be around 6,000 years old in fact. Unhcr tracks yazidi women welcomed back to the faith. This small religious sect faces genocide in northern. Yazidis are one of the oldest ethnic and religious communities indigenous to the middle east. Yezidi religion multidisciplinary view of the religious. But who are they and why are they being persecuted. Religions of the world part 1 the yazidi branch of yazdnism. The yezidis have a distinctive religious system, the origins of which remain unclear. In addition, members of the three yazidi castes, the murids, sheikhs and pirs, marry only within their group. It is one of three yazdani religions, alevism and ahle haqq being the others.
The yazidi black book is one of two books written in the style of a holy book of the yazidis in northern kurdish, the other being the yazidi book of revelation. This image was made from video taken on sunday shows iraqis from the yazidi community arriving in irbil in northern iraq after islamic militants attacked the towns of sinjar and zunmar. It is now generally accepted that the manuscripts of the yazidi sacred books, the mas. When adam was made, god told the archangels to bow to him, but melek tawus refused. The yazidi holy books are the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. United nations investigators said that isis fighters have committed genocide and other war crimes, by launching an effort to exterminate the yazidi religious minority in both syria and iraqi. The book has a informative introduction detailing the history and of the meshaf resh and some background on the yezidis. How do you rehabilitate a religion thats been singled out for such intense trauma and. The yezidi believe god created melek tawus, who was the first of seven archangels that he made before adam. Sep 20, 2014 thus, the iraqi yazidis are still regarded as the guardians of the yazidi religious tradition and the keepers of the main yazidi places of worship. Isis uses theology to justify rape, enslavement of yazidi. Jul 30, 2010 the yezidi are a kurdishspeaking people that mostly live in northern iraq.
Two short books, kitab aljilwah book of revelation and maafrash black book, form the sacred scriptures of the yazidis. Dec 18, 2017 yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after enduring islamic state brutality. The yazidis, isolated in a remote iraq region, are misunderstood and persecuted by their neighbours. The book also has many notes, a extensive bibliography for further study, and a reproduction of the original arabic manuscript witten in the 1800s. Some yazidis also live in armenia, turkey, iran, georgia, and syria. Yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after enduring. Yet throughout their long history they have faced 72 genocides and soon they may unfortunately be facing genocide number 73 at the hands of the group formerly known as isis which now calls itself the islamic state. Islamic militants have reportedly executed 300 families from the minority yazidi group. Scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 19 were forgeries written by non yazidis in response to western travellers and scholars interest in the yazidi religion. This book presents itself as a scholarly account of the saga and religious culture of the yezidi faithful. In the beginning the invisible one brought forth from its own precious soul a white pearl.
Jun 15, 2015 as the spiritual leader, he has the power to offer pardons, but when it comes to rewriting doctrine hes expected to meet with a council of religious advisors. A very brief history of the yazidi and what theyre up against in iraq theres a long history behind the yazidi community, and there are more. The yazidis fled to a remote area in northern iraq after they became targets of the hypermilitant group. Also called yezidi, daasin, or ezidi, the yazidi are a kurdishspeaking ethnoreligious community based in northern iraq who practice a syncretic religion influenced by preislamic assyrian traditions, sufi and shiite islam, nestorian christianity, and zoroastrianism. Who are the yazidis, the persecuted religious minority in iraq. Aug 31, 2017 life after isis slavery for yazidi women and children. Initially, yazidi religious leaders spoke privately to escapees and their families, but as the numbers grew, domle says he felt the need for an official, public change in doctrine. While yazidis struggle for existence, the world does little to help. Yazidis beliefs are misunderstood and maligned cbs news. The kurds are usually identified as an iranian ethnic group descended from the medes.
Isis uses theology to justify rape, enslavement of yazidi women. The majority of yazidis live in the northwest of iraq, in areas surrounding shingal7 mountain and shekhan district. The yazidis are a small, misunderstood and longpersecuted religious sect rooted in the town of sinjar, in northern iraq, and also in parts of syria and turkey. Yazidism is the religion of a kurdish peoplegroup that lives primarily in iraq. History, facts and traditions of iraqs persecuted minority. Researchers believe that the yazidi creed has elements from zoroastrianism, manicheism, judaism, christianity, and islam. Additionally, there are some yazidi villages and towns in talkeef and bashiqa district, and in duhok. The yazidi religion is monotheistic and can be traced back to ancient mesopotamian religions and it also has some similarities with abrahamic religions. The yazidis have their own religion called yazidism. Who are the yazidi, and why is isis targeting them.
Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god, satan. Life after isis slavery for yazidi women and children the. Practice, in terms of careful adherence to rules governing all aspects of life, is more important than the role of scriptural text, dogma and professions of personal belief. His tomb in the iraqi city of lalish is a site of yazidi pilgrimage, mirroring the sufi practices of millions of muslims elsewhere. The yazidi is a kurdishspeaking religious community who practice an ancient religion linked to zoroastrianism.
It blends elements of ancient mesopotamian religions, zoroastrianism, islam, christianity and judaism and is a religion specifically tied to the yazidis, who are an ethnoreligious group with roo. Those shrines have now been overrun, but yazidi clerics themselves remain figurative libraries. Isis considers the yazidis devil worshippers and incompatible with an islamic state. Aug 15, 2014 the current crisis in iraq has brought the plight of minority groups into the spotlight, with the mention of one religious cohort that many americans had likely never heard of before. Encyclopaedia iranica religious belief and practice. Yezidi religious belief and practice peacock angel. Isis uses theology to justify rape, enslavement of yazidi women at least 3,144 yazidis are still being held by the selfstyled islamic state, the new york times reports. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by nonyazidis in the 19th century and then were passed off as ancient manuscripts but that their contents do in fact reflect authentic yazidi oral tradition.
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