Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god. The black book seems very clear that it was melek, or satan, that created the cosmos. It is claimed that the original text of the book of revelation is kept in the yazidi village of baidn and the original text of the yazidi. Yazidi girls seized by isis speak out after escape. A yazidi boy who was kidnapped by isis hugs his grandmother after being returned to his family, february 2017.
The yazidi holy books are written in the kurmanji dialect of. It paints the tragedy of yazidi women in the grip of isis, according to its subtitle. Mishefa re is allegedly one of the two holy books of the yazidi religion, the other being the book of revelation kiteba cilwe. The yazidi book of revelation kiteba cilwe in kurdish. Kitba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. Freed from isis, yazidi women return in severe shock. First study on yazidi genocide by daesh reveals human.
It is now generally accepted that the manuscripts of the yazidi sacred books, the mas. The yazidi people are being systematically exterminated by the islamic state in iraq and syria isis, yet calls of genocide are falling largely on deaf ears. Two years ago, the only yazidi member of iraqs parliament made an impassioned plea to the world to help her people. The yazidi branch of yaxdnism ontario consultants on. He lifted up his voice and the sea became solid and became the earth. The religion, which has become notorious for its associations with devil worship, is in fact an intricate syncretic system of belief, incorporating elements from protoindoeuropean religions, early iranian faiths like zoroastrianism. Yezidis believe that god created the world, in the form of a pearl. When islamic state fighters swept into the yazidi villiage of kocho in iraq in the summer of 2014, teenager farida khalaf was kidnapped along with her sister and about 80 other yazidi girls.
It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by nonyazidis. Girls and boys from a yazidi religious school sing hymns and prayers in front of the yazidis holiest temple in lalesh, situated in a valley near dahuk, 267 miles 430 kms northwest of the iraqi. Muhammad hamed reuters on august 3, 2014, the islamic state or isis attacked the region around mount sinjar in northwestern iraq, near the countrys border with syria. The yezidis have two sacred books, the kitab aljilwa, the book of revelation, written by sheikh adi, and the mishefa res, the black book, which is said by scholars to have been written in the 11th12th centuries but, claim the yezidis, has existed since tawsi melek, the peacock angel, first set foot upon earth. The mashaf res, or black book, one of yazidis two main holy books, teaches that the most important of the holy angels, malak taus, refused to. Up to 400 abducted yazidi children are reportedly being trained as potential suicide bombers by isis.
That statement shocked my interlocutor since he knew that i came from an arab muslim family, despite him suspecting that perhaps i belonged originally to either a mandai or a christian background. Jul 27, 2017 freed from isis, yazidi women return in severe shock souhayla, a 16yearold girl who escaped the islamic state after three years of captivity, at her uncles home in shariya camp, iraq. Yazidi latest news, breaking stories and comment the. The black book after that he created a ship in which he rode thirty thousand years, after which melek taus came and lived among men in the city of lalish, where his temple remains to this day. The book covers the history, beliefs, practices, and material culture of the yezidis. 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. The rise of islamic fundamentalism more broadly has pushed thousands of yazidis to seek asylum in europe. Oct 16, 2014 the book covers the history, beliefs, practices, and material culture of the yezidis. I have contact with one yazidi leader in ontario who is an advocate for the yazidi communities. She is said to be beautiful, hardworking, and a virgin.
Christianity, integral philosophy, and politics yazidis and the original religion of the near east the horrific bombing in the kurdish regions around kirkuk death toll estimates currently at 400 targeted the yazidis, a smallish kurdish but nonmuslim sect. It precedes christianity, but is absolutely not devil worship. The yazidis also hold many beliefs that arent found in abrahamic religions. He is venerated as a divine being who resides in the same heaven as tawsi melek, although many believe that.
Freed from isis, yazidi women return in severe shock souhayla, a 16yearold girl who escaped the islamic state after three years of captivity, at her uncles home in shariya camp, iraq. Kurdistan, iraq lalesh, the religious capital of the yazidis, is deceptively tranquil. They also claim to be the worlds oldest religion, and have over 40,000 years of history. 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. Who are the yazidi, and why is isis targeting them. Sep 20, 2014 yazidi carry over a persian reverence for the sun and fire, considered by zoroastrians the avatar of the supreme god ahura mazda.
The yazidi community, which has become endangered in iraq due to the threat posed by daesh, is an authentic minority with a complex belief system. Nprs lulu garcianavarro asks cathy otten about with ash on their faces. Also, in peter ouspenskys book in search of the miraculous, he describes some strange customs that gurdjieff observed in yazidi boys. 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 05, 2015 his book, the black death, has been published to coincide with the first anniversary of the occupation of the yazidi region of shingal by isis on august 3, 2014. It is one of three yazdani religions, alevism and ahle haqq being the others. As far back as 1922, the university of londons bulletin of the school of oriental studies, noted the zoroastrian cues but saw the religion as a theological mashup that contaminated the doctrines which they.
Aug 14, 2014 yezidi black book of melek taus from mardukite necronomicon anunnaki bible posted by nexg3n on august 14, 2014 posted in. Didnt realize so much misinformation was out there. In 1948, the united nations established the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide and defined genocide as any act committed with intent to destroy. Yezidis believe the black book originated when the lord descended black mountain. Two short books, kitab aljilwah book of revelation and maafrash black book, form the sacred scriptures of the yazidis. Freed from isis, yazidi women return in severe shock the. The yazidis are an ancient persian people, and their religion is based on zoroastrianism. I have had some contact with other yazidis but not on an ongoing basis. Kurdish authorities told cnn they had evidence 600.
According to yazidis, malak taus malek taous is the fallen peacock angel. Apr 21, 2017 the yazidi people are being systematically exterminated by the islamic state in iraq and syria isis, yet calls of genocide are falling largely on deaf ears. The yezidi or yazidi1 is a people that claim to be the result of a mix between adam and a goddess, whereas humans are mix between adam and eve. First study on yazidi genocide by daesh reveals human tragedy. Aug, 2014 the yazidis also hold many beliefs that arent found in abrahamic religions. Browse the independents complete collection of articles and commentary on yazidi. Some people say they cant eat fish, a lot of people say. Life after isis slavery for yazidi women and children the. Yazidi girls seized by isis speak out after escape the.
Sheikh adi is a sufi reformer who lived among the yezidis in the 12th century and reformed their culture and religion into the shape it is today. In august 2014, daesh launched an assault on the yazidi religious communitys heartland in sinjar, northern iraq, home to around 400,000 yazidis. As a yazidi, a member of an ancient religious minority, he believed that the narrow mountain was sacred, central to. One of the central problems for students of the yazidi religion concerns the origin of the two holy books of the yazidis, the book of revelation and the black. New book by kurdish yazidi author aims to teach arabs of. Growing up in northwestern iraq, hadi pir often went to mt. A 20yearold yazidi woman taken hostage by isis tried to kill herself on multiple occasions. The horrors of a yazidi woman kidnapped by isis the. Yazidi carry over a persian reverence for the sun and fire, considered by zoroastrians the avatar of the supreme god ahura mazda. They were stuck on sinjar mountain after fleeing the atrocities of the islamic.
The black book and the other socalled scriptures have been systematically debunked by scholars as being false. I told him i dont harbor any doubts about yazidism as a doctrine, while. 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. But my daughters backs were black from bruises, and we have seen a lot. He told me, among other things, that when he was a child he had often observed how yezidi boys were unable to step out of a circle traced round them on the ground p. Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god, satan. I believe that the accounts of creation differ somewhat between the black book and the book of illumination. Khanke, iraq the 15yearold girl, crying and terrified, refused to release her grip on her sisters hand. The two religious books of the yazidis have arabic text. It is claimed that the original text of the book of revelation is kept in the yazidi village of baidn and the the yazidi book of revelation kit ba cilwe in kurdish. Yezidi women and the islamic state, her book about the history and personal stories of the religious minority. They undergo great discrimination and persecution, to the point of death, in northern iraq currently. Aug 19, 2016 when islamic state fighters swept into the yazidi villiage of kocho in iraq in the summer of 2014, teenager farida khalaf was kidnapped along with her sister and about 80 other yazidi girls.
Yezidi black book of melek taus from mardukite necronomicon. Khider domle, a yazidi researcher, academic and activist based in dohuk. I will write this up in a bit with cites in the article itself. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by.
A brief history of the yazidis of iraq jstor daily. Yazidis believe that they were the first people on earth, he told sbs. Meefa res is one of two books written in the style of a holy book of the yazidis in northern kurdis h, the other being the yazidi book of revelatio n kiteba jilw e. 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 it is now generally accepted that the manuscripts of the yazidi sacred books, the mas. May 11, 2017 the yazidi community, which has become endangered in iraq due to the threat posed by daesh, is an authentic minority with a complex belief system. The daring plan to save a religious minority from isis the. The yazidi religious centre and object of the annual pilgrimage is the tomb of sheikh. They shouldnt wear the color blue, said kreyenbroek. Yes, the islamic states attacks on the yazidis constitute. The book of revelation and black book remain, however, the most prominent texts associated with the socalled devil worshipers of mesopotamia.
The yazidis perceptions of reconciliation and conflict 1. After that he created a ship in which he rode thirty thousand years, after which melek taus came and lived among men in the city of lalish. Yazidis spiritual leader, referred to as baba sheikh, is a man named khurto hajj ismail, who deals with matters pertaining to the faith. The yazidi book of revelation kit ba cilwe in kurdish. Other content include illustrations, photos, maps, notes, a glossary, a bibliography and appendices filled with invaluable information like yezidi saints and genealogies of influential families. And another individual currently prince tahseen said, 81 serves as both a secular and religious leader, al arabiya reported. Researchers believe that the yazidi creed has elements from zoroastrianism, manicheism, judaism, christianity, and islam. Human rights commission report says isis is committing crimes against the yazidi population in syria and iraq. The religion is rather difficult to study closely, and the translations of texts are not entirely complete, as the yezidi practitioners are understandably cautious about outsiders.
Aug 15, 2014 yazidis spiritual leader, referred to as baba sheikh, is a man named khurto hajj ismail, who deals with matters pertaining to the faith. Yezidi mythology creation, floods, and a large black snake. Executive summary this report focuses on the yazidi community, one of the largest minority groups in iraq, and their perceptions on conflicts and future reconciliation following the islamic states is invasion in 2014. Yazidi survivors of isis captivity hold a candle lighting ceremony for the. The daring plan to save a religious minority from isis. Nov 19, 2017 nprs lulu garcianavarro asks cathy otten about with ash on their faces. The black book of the yezidis was first published in english over 120 years ago. World one year on from the sinjar massacre, yazidis blast lack of action over hostages. The yezidi faith emerged for the first time in the twelfth century in the kurdish mountains of northern iraq. However, the black book contains more of the creation and history stories. Duhok, kurdistan region iraq, it is because he owes it to the dozens of kurdish yazidi women he has spoken to regularly who were captives of the islamic state that kurdish journalist khidher domle says he wrote down their stories into a book his book, the black death, has been published to coincide with the first anniversary of the occupation of the yazidi region of shingal by isis. Life after isis slavery for yazidi women and children. Yes, the islamic states attacks on the yazidis constitute genocide, new report says women clean the temple of lalish, the most holy site in the yazidi religion, on nov. He is venerated as a divine being who resides in the same heaven as tawsi melek, although many believe that he was an incarnation of the peacock angel.