Kurdish Muslim students visited the Yezidi Lalish Temple in order to break stereotypes

2022/07/64456-1658385862.jpg
Read: 1440     15:30     21 Июль 2022    

Dr. Ibrahim Malazada, a Kurdish researcher and lecturer in sociology at Soran University, and a group of political sociology students visited Lalish Temple, the most sacred temple of the Yezidi people. The purpose of the visit was the destruction of stereotypes.

An employee of the temple's media department introduced the guests to the Yezidi culture and religion.

According to the teacher of the group, the first thing in terms of the excursion was to visit a Christian village near Barzan, but most of the students preferred to go to Lalesh first. There are too many misconceptions about the Yezidis, so the young students decided to destroy the fictional stereotypes.

«After the visit, several students told me that their view of the Yezidis had completely changed and many of the things they were told were wrong. One such visit is equal to 50 conferences, because people see and realize that reality is different from reading a book», said Ibrahim Malazada.

Muslims have often held stereotypes that the non-Muslim minority of Yezidis are not faithful. This is interpreted by radical imams who have been trying for centuries to desecrate and blacken the ancient Yezidi religion in the eyes of the entire Islamic world, not knowing someone else's faith with their ignorance, they desecrate the Yezidis.  

Austrian expert on Kurdish and Yezidi affairs, Dr. Thomas Schmidinger told «Kurdistan 24» that some of these stereotypes, which led to the ISIS genocide against the Yazidis in August 2014, existed before and were widespread among the Muslim population of the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq.

According to Schmidinger, most Muslims do not eat food produced by Yezidis. As a result, a non-governmental organization had to stop a bakery project run by Yezidis in the Kurdistan region.

«This is similar to the anti-Semitism that already existed before the Nazis, and which was radicalized and systematized by the Nazis. Another widely held stereotype is the notion that the Yezidis worship the devil. This is completely wrong and a complete misunderstanding of the Yezidi religion, because for the Yezidis there is not even something like the devil. They don't even have any idea of ​​personified evil and hell, because they believe in a kind of soul transformation, not a terrible judgment that sends evil people to hell. Yezidis worship the supreme creator God (Xwedê) and the Angel-Tawusî Melek, whom Muslims often mistakenly identify with the devil», concluded Schmidinger.

Murad Ismayil, Yazidi, president and co-founder of Shangal Academy, told «Kurdistan 24» that such visits by Kurdish students to the history of the Yezidi community and direct interaction are necessary to bridge the gap and clear up misunderstandings that, quite frankly, have been the cause of previous persecution. In order for the Yezidis to live peacefully in peace with the Muslim majority, these misunderstandings must be eliminated».

Coexistence cannot be forced, but it is a culture that should be developed through genuine human connection and mutual respect for each other's beliefs.

Kurdistan 24





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #newsyazidis   #iraqyazidis   #aboutyazidis  



Kurdish Muslim students visited the Yezidi Lalish Temple in order to break stereotypes

2022/07/64456-1658385862.jpg
Read: 1441     15:30     21 Июль 2022    

Dr. Ibrahim Malazada, a Kurdish researcher and lecturer in sociology at Soran University, and a group of political sociology students visited Lalish Temple, the most sacred temple of the Yezidi people. The purpose of the visit was the destruction of stereotypes.

An employee of the temple's media department introduced the guests to the Yezidi culture and religion.

According to the teacher of the group, the first thing in terms of the excursion was to visit a Christian village near Barzan, but most of the students preferred to go to Lalesh first. There are too many misconceptions about the Yezidis, so the young students decided to destroy the fictional stereotypes.

«After the visit, several students told me that their view of the Yezidis had completely changed and many of the things they were told were wrong. One such visit is equal to 50 conferences, because people see and realize that reality is different from reading a book», said Ibrahim Malazada.

Muslims have often held stereotypes that the non-Muslim minority of Yezidis are not faithful. This is interpreted by radical imams who have been trying for centuries to desecrate and blacken the ancient Yezidi religion in the eyes of the entire Islamic world, not knowing someone else's faith with their ignorance, they desecrate the Yezidis.  

Austrian expert on Kurdish and Yezidi affairs, Dr. Thomas Schmidinger told «Kurdistan 24» that some of these stereotypes, which led to the ISIS genocide against the Yazidis in August 2014, existed before and were widespread among the Muslim population of the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq.

According to Schmidinger, most Muslims do not eat food produced by Yezidis. As a result, a non-governmental organization had to stop a bakery project run by Yezidis in the Kurdistan region.

«This is similar to the anti-Semitism that already existed before the Nazis, and which was radicalized and systematized by the Nazis. Another widely held stereotype is the notion that the Yezidis worship the devil. This is completely wrong and a complete misunderstanding of the Yezidi religion, because for the Yezidis there is not even something like the devil. They don't even have any idea of ​​personified evil and hell, because they believe in a kind of soul transformation, not a terrible judgment that sends evil people to hell. Yezidis worship the supreme creator God (Xwedê) and the Angel-Tawusî Melek, whom Muslims often mistakenly identify with the devil», concluded Schmidinger.

Murad Ismayil, Yazidi, president and co-founder of Shangal Academy, told «Kurdistan 24» that such visits by Kurdish students to the history of the Yezidi community and direct interaction are necessary to bridge the gap and clear up misunderstandings that, quite frankly, have been the cause of previous persecution. In order for the Yezidis to live peacefully in peace with the Muslim majority, these misunderstandings must be eliminated».

Coexistence cannot be forced, but it is a culture that should be developed through genuine human connection and mutual respect for each other's beliefs.

Kurdistan 24





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #newsyazidis   #iraqyazidis   #aboutyazidis