ISIS’ Use of Sexual Violence as a Strategy of Terrorism in Iraq

2021/08/04948-1627887462.jpg
Read: 1669     12:30     02 Август 2021    

Beatrice Aubert

Part-1


Case study of the Yazidi community

This final part aims to illustrate, through the case study of the Yazidi community, how ISIS has used sexual violence as a weapon of terror to commit ethnic cleansing of an entire community. This case study allows us to analyse a concrete example of the use of sexual violence in Iraq by ISIS and to draw conclusions from this case study for our research question.

The Yazidi community is one of the largest and oldest minority groups in Iraq. They have traditionally lived in the Sinjarinin district of Mosul . It is estimated that before August 2014, 600,000 Yazidis lived in Iraq . The Yazidi faith is an ancient monotheistic religion, based on an oral tradition and with a strong connection to the land . They observe a strict religio-political hierarchy and are mostly cultivators and herdsmen . They maintain a closed community, as a child can only be of Yazidi faith if both parents are Yazidis and because conversion to the Yazidi faith is not possible . As many minorities in Iraq, they have been marginalised and under threat for years, however, the Yazidis have been particularly targeted because their religion is often misinterpreted as a pagan and a devil-worshipping faith. Different Iraqi governments and terrorist groups have used this misinterpretation to justify the use of violence against them. They have been persecuted since the Ottoman Empire with campaigns of forced conversion, and later with Saddam Hussein’s Arabisation campaign of Kurdistan. After the 2003 invasion, Al-Qaeda conducted regular terrorist attacks against the community as they believed that non-Muslims should be eradicated. Kaya points out the lack of protection provided by the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to the Yazidis since the 2003 military intervention. The Yazidis live in a disputed territory between the Kurdish forces and Iraqi state, further destabilising their situation as both parties are competing for the control of the territory. This situation has also led to a division in the community between those who identify as Kurdish, and the members that view themselves as from a different and unique Yazidi identity . The latest attack to the Yazidi community was ISIS’s military advance in Iraq in 2014. As non-Muslims, the Yazidis were particularly vulnerable to ISIS’ ideal of Sunni dominance in the region.

The Yazidis live in disputed territory between Kurdish forces and the Iraqi state, which further destabilizes their situation as both sides fight for control of the territory. This situation has also led to a division in the community between those who identify themselves as Kurds and members who consider themselves representatives of a different and unique Yazidi identity. The last attack on the Yazidi community was the military offensive of ISIS in Iraq in 2014. As Muslims, the Yazidis were particularly vulnerable.





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #newsyazidi   #aboutyazidi   #genocideyazidi   #humanrights  



ISIS’ Use of Sexual Violence as a Strategy of Terrorism in Iraq

2021/08/04948-1627887462.jpg
Read: 1670     12:30     02 Август 2021    

Beatrice Aubert

Part-1


Case study of the Yazidi community

This final part aims to illustrate, through the case study of the Yazidi community, how ISIS has used sexual violence as a weapon of terror to commit ethnic cleansing of an entire community. This case study allows us to analyse a concrete example of the use of sexual violence in Iraq by ISIS and to draw conclusions from this case study for our research question.

The Yazidi community is one of the largest and oldest minority groups in Iraq. They have traditionally lived in the Sinjarinin district of Mosul . It is estimated that before August 2014, 600,000 Yazidis lived in Iraq . The Yazidi faith is an ancient monotheistic religion, based on an oral tradition and with a strong connection to the land . They observe a strict religio-political hierarchy and are mostly cultivators and herdsmen . They maintain a closed community, as a child can only be of Yazidi faith if both parents are Yazidis and because conversion to the Yazidi faith is not possible . As many minorities in Iraq, they have been marginalised and under threat for years, however, the Yazidis have been particularly targeted because their religion is often misinterpreted as a pagan and a devil-worshipping faith. Different Iraqi governments and terrorist groups have used this misinterpretation to justify the use of violence against them. They have been persecuted since the Ottoman Empire with campaigns of forced conversion, and later with Saddam Hussein’s Arabisation campaign of Kurdistan. After the 2003 invasion, Al-Qaeda conducted regular terrorist attacks against the community as they believed that non-Muslims should be eradicated. Kaya points out the lack of protection provided by the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to the Yazidis since the 2003 military intervention. The Yazidis live in a disputed territory between the Kurdish forces and Iraqi state, further destabilising their situation as both parties are competing for the control of the territory. This situation has also led to a division in the community between those who identify as Kurdish, and the members that view themselves as from a different and unique Yazidi identity . The latest attack to the Yazidi community was ISIS’s military advance in Iraq in 2014. As non-Muslims, the Yazidis were particularly vulnerable to ISIS’ ideal of Sunni dominance in the region.

The Yazidis live in disputed territory between Kurdish forces and the Iraqi state, which further destabilizes their situation as both sides fight for control of the territory. This situation has also led to a division in the community between those who identify themselves as Kurds and members who consider themselves representatives of a different and unique Yazidi identity. The last attack on the Yazidi community was the military offensive of ISIS in Iraq in 2014. As Muslims, the Yazidis were particularly vulnerable.





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #newsyazidi   #aboutyazidi   #genocideyazidi   #humanrights