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Life after Genocide: The Yazidis by Kristian Skeie
The Yazidis are an ethnically Kurdish religious community or an ethno-religious group indigenous to northern Mesopotamia. Their religion, Yazidism is linked to ancient Mesopotamian religions and combines aspects of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Yazidis who marry non-Yazidis are automatically considered to be converted to the religion of their spouse and therefore are not permitted to call themselves Yazidis. - They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of Iraq. Additional communities in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Syria have been in decline since the 1990s as a result of significant migration to Europe, especially to Germany. - When self-styled Islamic State fighters invaded Yazidi territory in northern Iraq in August 2014, they unlashed a ruthless and deliberate attempt to destroy this ancient people and their unique cilture. The militants massacred an estimated 5'000 men and boys but also kidnapped and brutalized thousands of women and girls. The Yazidi plight prompted international outrage and the direct intervention of US forces against ISIS. Writer Vicken Cheterian and KEYSTONE partner photographer Kristian Skeie recently visited Sinjar in northern Iraq and the Yazidi cimmunities that remain. (wp/jm)