Yazidi journalists, still In peril, seek international spotlight

NEW YORK — Leaders of the minority religious group in Iraq known as Yazidis say they don’t feel secure even though ISIS has largely been defeated in the region.

“We don’t have an advocate or a strong media voice to shed light on our problems,” said Nassr Haji Khedr, a journalist who met with ReligionUnplugged in New York City recently.

The Yazidis were abruptly thrust onto the international stage in August 2014, when ISIS captured the Yazidi town of Sinjar.  ISIS immediately killed thousands of men, boys and older women and forced more than 6,000 women and girls into sexual slavery. Fifty thousand Yazidis fled Sinjar to take refuge in nine locations on Mount Sinjar, a craggy 5,000-ft ridge that overlooks the city.  Yazidis believe Mount Sinjar to be the final resting place of Noah’s ark.  

“Today, we are in a tough existence…This was a genocide.”

Nassr Haji Khedr, Yazidi journalist

Gut wrenching  images of the Yazidis trapped on their sacred mountain galvanized Western governments to come to their rescue. The Yazidis were dying of hunger and thirst and in imminent danger of being slaughtered by ISIS.

President Obama launched targeted airstrikes against the Islamic militants, creating a corridor through which Yazidis could escape from Mount Sinjar to take refuge in Kurdistan. American and British air forces organized food and water airdrops for the refugees.  

The Yazidis are one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions.  The Yazidis faith draws on aspects of Islam and Christianity and is passed down orally from generation to generation.  The Yazidis have a history of brutal persecution by Sunni Muslims, who consider them to be heretics. Yazidi journalist Akram al Mijewir said, “In our history, Yazidis have been subjected to genocide 73 times.  ISIS was our 74th.”  

For centuries, Yazidis have survived these persecutions by forming closely-knit communities in the Middle East. There are fewer than 1 million Yazidis worldwide, and most live in Iraq’s heartland. 

Today, the plight of the Yazidis has faded from the world’s attention, but they continue to live precarious lives in a chaotic, turbulent country. In the Kurdistan region of Iraq, 350,000 internally displaced Yazidis live in squalid conditions in refugee (IDP) camps. Dr. Widad Akreyi, cofounder of Norwegian NGO Defend International, estimates that 80% of these internally displaced people need mental health treatment for clinical depression, anxiety, chronic insomnia, and PTSD.  

Three thousand Yazidi children are still missing and feared to be in the hands of ISIS.  The three thousand children that have been rescued from ISIS are living in camps with no basic services. 

“These kids have lost parents, and there is no one to take care of them,” Yazidi journalist Navin Simoqy said.  “Yazidis need orphanages specifically tailored to them and their culture and customs.” The orphanages in Iraq are run by Islamist groups that would seek to erase these kids’ Yazidi identity.  

The plight of many Yazidis is exacerbated by their inability to return to their traditional homelands.  Sinjar is today a disputed area, claimed by both Shia Iraqis and Kurds. Yazidis are unable to return to some parts of Ninawa because they are controlled by Iranian-backed Shia militias who would like to maintain Shia control of these regions.  

U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry said, “Iraq and the region risk losing entire minority communities, and with them, the centuries-old healthy pluralism that played the quiet but essential role of holding people of diverse faiths together.”

In an effort to bring the Yazidi plight back into the international spotlight, the U.S. State department brought nine Yazidi journalists and human rights activists to the U.S. to meet with Americans who are strategically placed to help publicize the plight of the Iraqi Yazidis. The visit was designed to foster abilities for Yazidi journalists and NGOs to make their voices heard to the wider world. In September 2019, The Yazidi delegation visited media and museum professionals in New York and Washington D. C. They also visited America’s largest Yazidi diaspora, which is located in Lincoln, Neb.  

“Yazidis felt safe when American troops were in their towns. It was after Americans withdrew that atrocities occurred.”

- Saber Saydo, digital media specialist with Yazda.org

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Yazidi delegation expressed their hopes and fears for their people during a two-hour visit with staff editors and writers for ReligionUnplugged at its offices in The King’s College in New York City.  

Saber Saydo,  who works as a digital media specialist for the Yazidi non-profit Yazda, said, “In 2003, we welcomed American troops. Yazidis worked as volunteers and assisted them as interpreters.  Yazidis gave their lives for the U.S. Army. Yazidis felt safe when American troops were in their towns. It was after Americans withdrew that atrocities occurred.”

Journalist Haji Khedr said, “The people who helped ISIS attack Kocho and other Yazidi villages were our Sunni neighbors.  They were people who lived and worked with Yazidis.” This makes it impossible to feel safe in disputed areas of Iraq where ISIS is still a danger.  

Raad Tariq Ilyas Svora, President of Lalash Cultural and Social Center, said, “Yazidis live in two regions in Iraq. In Kurdistan, we live in peace and safety. Nothing bad happens to Yazidis in Kurdistan.  In disputed areas, fear is growing among Yazidis. ISIS is present and reconstituting itself.“

All the delegates stressed the need for Yazidis to have a much stronger media presence in Iraq to counter prejudices and stereotypes.  

Saydo added, “ISIS and other extremists use social media to rally hate against the Yazidis, calling Yazidis devil worshippers.  We have no way to defend ourselves against this accusation. Yazidis need to have the same tools as ISIS to counter hatred against minorities… The voice of the Yazidis are unheard in Iraq.  There are 100 cable channels, but no channel belongs to the Yazidis.”

Yazidi journalists speak with Religion Unplugged staff in NYC. Photos by Paul Glader.

Yazidi journalist Navin Simoqy, said, “What we need is a media outlet that belongs to Yazidis and is not controlled by others.” On Sept. 10, Simoqy met with Congressman Fortenburry to discuss ways to fund such a venture.  

Yazidi journalist al-Mijewir would like to get this message out to his fellow Iraqis: “We are a peaceful religion. We are not seeking to be involved in government or have our own state. We are a peaceful religion and want to survive in peace in our area.” 

Dr. Robert Carle is a professor of historical theology and Islam at The King’s College in NYC. Paul Glader is an associate professor of journalism at King’s and serves as Executive Editor of Religion Unplugged.