Dispersion of the Yazidi Nation in Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Europe: Call for UN Action
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
February 28, 2010
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:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/79908
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/83259
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
http://www.ahrata.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:mirza-donnayi-the-future-prospects-for-yezidis&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
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… 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.
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: ezidi.lobby@gmail.com
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: dinnayi@gmail.com
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: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/43904), 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):
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2608455770105406430uhTpjE
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2771570400105406430uleFWA
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2891396640105406430CaOxtM
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2704653010105406430SziSNG
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2977460390105406430YQeudp
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2454849310105406430ZoxXbQ
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.
Print
Email
