Who are the Ezidis?
Ezidis are a monotheistic, indigenous people from the Middle East.
Ezidis have historically lived in present-day Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Northern Iraq. Ezidis have a rich oral religious and cultural tradition that contributes significantly to the vibrant diversity of the historic Fertile Crescent. The Ezidi faith is monotheistic, and shares many elements with other Middle Eastern traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is distinguished by unique prayer rituals and the central role of the Peacock Angel, Tawusi Malek, who Ezidis honor as the messenger of God.
A History of Displacement
For millenia, the fertile crescent has been a place of extraordinary agriculture productivity and both biological and cultural diversity, and Mount Shingal has been an ancestral home, spiritual center, and safe haven for Ezidis. During the 1970s and 80s, a relocation scheme was set in place and the indigenous Ezidis community was forcibly displaced from nearly 150 of their villages on Mount Shingal to collective villages on the plain below.
In 2014, ISIS terrorized anyone who did not support their views. They killed and enslaved over 10,000 Ezidis and forcibly displaced nearly the entire community of 400,000 people, ransacking property and natural spaces in a genocidal attack that was intended to annihilate the Ezidi people, culture and religion.
Returning & Rebuilding
Many Ezidis have or hope to return to their home and refuge, Mount Shingal. We have a vision, a strategy and the will to regenerate Shingal, but we need your help to rebuild.
