Dispersion of the Yazidi Nation in Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and
Europe: Call for UN Action
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
February 28, 2010
In several previous articles, I republished calls and articles
elaborated by Aramaeans (Oriental Christians) and Turkmens (Sunni
Muslims) denouncing the grave degradation of Human Rights and the
prevailing terror campaign in North Iraq which has been undertaken by
the pseudo-Kurdish groups of the war criminals Talabani and Barzani,
and promoted with the US-UK help.
In the Fall 2008, I dedicated two articles to the unbearable
persecution carried out against the Yazidis, calling for the formation
an independent Yazidi state to avert a genocide performed against
them. Quite unfortunately, in the span of the last 15 months, the
situation in the land of Yazidis worsened dramatically. The links to
my articles are here:
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In an article published yesterday under the title "Iraq: Yazidi
Minority Calls for Help Against Al Qaeda "Kurdish" Terrorists Talebani
and Barzani", I republished part of a dramatic call expressed by Dr.
Mirza H. Dinnayi, Yazidi Intellectual and Coordinator of Yezidi
Community in Europe. With the present article I complete the
republication of Dr. Mirza H. Dinnayi´s call. In several forthcoming
articles, I will further expand on the subject that must draw an
urgent attention due to the precipitated deterioration in North Iraq
and the rise in force of an Al Qaeda terrorist state controlled by the
criminal gangs of the pseudo-Kurdish thugs Talabani and Barzani with
Freemasonic support from the UK – French – US adminsitrations.
Mirza Donnayi: The Future Prospects for Yezidis
The Situation of the Yezidi Minority – A Short Report
By Dr. Mirza H. Dinnayi
Former Iraqi President´s Advisor for Minority Affairs
Coordinator of Yezidi Community in Europe
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3. Situation of Yezidis in Syria
Yezidis live in east Syria in both provinces Aleppo and Hassake. They
suffer from double discrimination due to their religious as well as
their ethnical identities. The situation for them is very strained;
they live in areas which are extremely neglected. They could be
attacked from the neighbour tribes at any time. Several Yezidi women
were kidnapped and forced to get marry with Muslims. They become no
protection from the Syrian authorities if there is any pursuit or
conflict with other population groups. This discrimination is
representing in all visions of their life, i.e. Yezidi farmers can not
sell their goods (milk, cheese, meat=80¦ etc.). Muslims believe that
the Yezidis are not God worshipers, so it is not allowed to deal with
their farm products. The badly is, that such fanatic movements are
going to be stronger and harder.
This means that the daily conflicts with the neighbours have one
reason: This minority is not only a defenseless group but it is also a
society whom life has very gloomy future perspectives. Also the
ethnical community is frequently ignored hereby. On the other hand it
is important to say, that there are also in this area persons and
groups, who recognize the identity of the Yezidis, and achieve it as
the origin of all Kurds, they use this argument sometimes for their
own purposes. But this "acceptance" in the Kurdish community is
unfortunately very weak according to the "non acceptance wave".
The forms of persecuting of Yezidis are physical abusing, removal or
destruction of agricultural effective areas, robbery and theft of
cattle and furniture as well as the kidnapping of Yezidi girls. There
are many examples for such tragedies. Thousands of Yezidis like other
Kurds are regarded as (homeless). They have no civil rights in the
country; therefore they can expect no assistance from authority and
religious institutions. Yezidis are forced to learn and practice
Islamic law, differently than the Christians in the region, who must
not follow the religious requirements of Islam.
Since end of the seventies and beginning eighties leave Yezidis their
region and migrate to Europe, particularly into the Federal Republic
of Germany. More than 50% of the Yezidi population left Syria in the
last 20 years.
The events of March 2004 in the Kurdish regions played a negative
influence on the situation of Yezidis also. A Yezidi young man was
arrested and tortured up to death during his military service. This
makes the brutal reality, the Yezidis might be punished anytime and
even they have no role in the conflicts between Syrian government and
Kurdish community. There are many examples of such conflicts.
4. Situation of Yezidis in the Turkey
The most of the experts reported about the bad situation of Yezidis in
the Turkey. It is important to say, that the Turkish authorities are
still now against recognizing of Yezidis as an independent religion.
Their identity in the Turkey is written as ´Unbeliever´. There is no
registration of this religion. They were living under miserable
conditions of non acceptance & discrimination. The most of them are
emigrated in the last 20 years because of persecuting, war and
permanent attacks. The population of Yezidis in the Turkey has
decreased from 30.000 in 1982 to less than 500 persons last year.
Yezidi students have to learn Islam in the schools.
5. Situation of Yezidis in Armenia & Georgia
Yezidi society is the greatest minority in Armenia. There are more the
250.000 Yezidis who are originated from Armenia and Georgia. The
community makes 2 4% of the population of Armenia. The authors
Alexanian & Liankevich wrote about the situation of Yezidis the
following:
The Yezidis, also known as Yezidi Kurds, are Armenia´s largest
minority community. Life is hard but generally they do not blame
Armenians and have good relations with them. Their main complaints are
against the Armenian government.
Under the "Life is hard" the authors mean:
Difficult social conditions have caused many to emigrate, especially
to Russia, over the last few years. Around fifty families have left
the village of Zovuni in the Kotaik region alone. During land
privatisation in 2002, many Yezidis lost their pastures and were
unable to press their case with the authorities…. The Yezidis have
no representatives in the government or parliament.
The future of Yezidis is not certain. The future of Armenia´s Yezidis
depends crucially on the next children keeping the culture and
language. Currently Armenia has no Yezidi schools or textbooks and all
education is done in Armenian. (Alexanian & Liankevich 2005)
The reports about the situation of human rights are also not
positive. The report of US State Department 2006 explains:
There were reports that hazing of new conscripts was more severe for
minority group members such as Yezidis and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some
Yezidi leaders reported that police and local authorities subjected
their religious community to discrimination. Other Yezidi leaders
denied the allegations.
In Georgia live Yezidis mainly in Tiflis. The perspectives of life are
not better. Yezidi experts explain the bad situation in both countries
with following points:
1. The Yezidi society has no civil rights. There are no free Yezidi
schools or
organisations.
2. The extreme nationalists and fanatics force Yezidis to migrate. At
the same time neglect the national authorities this discrimination.
They participate with their ignorance indirectly in persecuting of
Yezidi community.
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3. The bad social and economic situation of Yezidis forced them to
migrate toward other former USSR-countries. Some of them are forced to
convert their religion to become economic supports from the missionary
organisations.
6. Situation of Yezidi Refugees Abroad
6.1. Yezidis are escaping from Iraq.
The discrimination and pursuit of minorities, especially Yezidis, in
the last three years are the cause of a mass displacement of them,
particularly after the last attack in Sinjar. According to the
statistics and documentation of our community:
1. There are more than 50.000 Yezidis who registered themselves in the
UNHCR office in Damascus. Some of them returned back to Iraq, another
groups are still waiting in Syria to migrate toward Europe.
2. There are now in the other neighbour countries like Turkey hundreds
of Yezidi
families, who are escaping with deferent legal and illegal ways from
Iraq to Europe.
The target of these people is to save their families from terrorists.
These refuges are in the most of the time victims of smugglers in
Istanbul and in the other cities. For e.g. a band of Turkish smugglers
took more than 300 illegal refuges (280 persons were Yezidis) by ship
from Turkey to Greek. They left these people more than 10 days in the
see, without eating and drinking. According to our information, there
is a flow of Yezidis of about 500 persons monthly, traveling outside
of Iraq.
6.2. Yezidi Refugees in Germany
The number of Yezidi people in Germany is about 60.000. The majority
is coming from Turkey. Iraqi Yezidis are about 20.000 persons, 2000 of
them were coming in the last six months. The federal office of
migration and refuges in Germany (Bundesamt für Migration und
Flüchtlinge) decided to accept Yezidis, Christians and Mandean as
persecuted groups in Iraq. It is enough for the German offices to be
member of one of these groups in order to become refugee according to
the § 60 Paragraph no. 1-7 of the Accommodation´s Law
(Aufenthaltsgesetz, § 60 Abs. 1-7).
6.3. Yezidi Refugees in Sweden
The number of Yezidi people in Sweden is about 4000. Most of them came
within the last two years. There are more than 1500 Yezidis in Sweden
who have not got the right to stay; they are still waiting of
recognizing them.
There is a hope that Swedish government and migration offices in
Sweden recognize these people and facilitate the process of granting
them the right of asylum, in the same easy and quick procedure that
has been undertaken for Yezidis by Germany and other EU countries,
because they have no chance to return back to Iraq.
7 The Statement for our European Friends
Our people in Iraq are in need of your help. And we hope that you can
do something for them. We ask for your solidarity and humanitarian
support. We will be pleased if you give these people a new chance to
live in peace. There are now hundreds of orphans and poor families,
victims of the terror attacks. Most of them need urgent aid, nobody
dose anything for them. They are waiting of foreign help.
We will be very happy if you help us to rebuild our villages and to
help the victims to be treated. Our charitable foundation (Yezidi
Unterstützungsverein e. V.) is now operating a humanitarian campaign
for the victims, but we are depended of any support especially from
Sweden and Germany.
To solve the problem of Yezidi minority in Iraq:
a) We ask for international assistance and solidarity with Yezidi and
other minorities in the Iraq.
b) We ask the European Union countries to exert more political
pressure to change this bad situation of Yezidi in Iraq. The non
muslin minorities in Iraq, especially Yezidi are in need of the
international protection in order to live peacefully in their country.
c) We have a humanitarian project to support the victims of the terror
attack in Sinjar, especially children and women. The concept of this
project (Help Centre for the Orphans and Terror Victims) is to help
the victims socially and psychologically. Our centre in Sinjar is now
supporting 50 Orphans and 30 families. Our goal is to support all 228
Orphans and 100 helpless women, to be realized it needs foreign
donation.
d) The Yezidi Community and its associations are interested to inform
and explain the danger of migration outside of Iraq. Our goal is not
to move Yezidis from Iraq toward Europe, but to find peace for them in
their country. This can be done through organizing workshops, seminars
and newspaper and media campaigns. The Yezidi Community is planning to
start this campaign in April 2008. We hope that Swedish government
help us by this campaign. It is our interest and in the interest EU
Countries that this migration wave will be stopped.
e) We would like to start a campaign under the "Iraqi religions
working for peace". Such project could educate the Iraqi people;
Yezidis, Muslims, Christians and others the culture of peace and
culture of "Living together". This project needs European support.
Yezidi Community in Europe
Head Organisation of the Yezidi Associations in EU Countries, and the
attached charitable foundation (Yezidi Unterstützungsverein e. V.)
support people in need.
Address:
YUV e. V.
Bonhoefferstr. 7, D-30457 Hannover
Tel. 0049-15110625620
Email: [email protected]
Registration no. by Tax office: 16/200/83083
Registration number: 120240 at the district court Hildesheim, Germany
Bank account number : 900 329 130 / Bank code (BLZ) : 250 501 80
Bank Name: Sparkasse Hannover
IBAN: DE67 250501800 900329130
BIC: SPKHDE2H
Note 1
Dr. Mirza H. Dinnayi can be contacted here:
Phone: 0049-15110625620
Email: [email protected]
Note 2
The variants Yazidis and Yezidis reflect merely a different
vocalization of the name in Western languages; in this regard, I
personally agree with the choice made by the Wikipedia, but both forms
are valid.
Note 3
In my book The Six Stars of the Orient (Athens, 1994 / book review
available here: 04),
and more specifically on its third chapter which was focused on Amida
/ Diyarbakir, I dedicated several pages on the Yazidis (equally
present in Turkey), their religion, their Holy Book (Mas-haf-e Ras)
and their philosophical doctrine. As the whole book is available for
online reading (jpeg docs), I add here the links to the pages about
the Yazidis (in Modern Greek):
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http://travel.webshot s.com/photo/2891396640105406430CaOxtM
http://trav el.webshots.com/photo/2704653010105406430SziSNG
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10105406430ZoxXbQ
Note
Picture: Malek Tawus, the King Angel – Emanation of God, who created
the world, key element of the Yazidi Religion. By Yazidis, Malek Tawus
has been envisioned as peacock as his name (tawus) suggests. The word
is Indo-European of origin attested in Farsi and Ancient Greek.
es/view/143737