Yazidis in Germany – The World’s Largest Diaspora | Yazidis.info

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Definition: The Yazidis in Germany constitute a diasporic community of adherents to Yazidism (Kurdish: Êzidî) who have settled primarily after the late‑20th‑century conflicts in the Middle East (Kreyenbroek 2009).

Pronunciation & Orthography

In Kurmanji the community is rendered Êzidî li Almanya [eːzɨˈdiː li ˈalmaːnja]. The Arabic‑script variant uses “یزیدیه‌کان له‌ ئه‌ڵمانیا” while the Cyrillic transcription employed by some diaspora scholars appears as “Эзиди ли Алмания”. English publications frequently misspell the name as “Yazidis” (plural) or “Yazidi” (singular), though the Kurdish plural is “Êzidî”. The IPA transcription supplied above follows the International Phonetic Association (2020) conventions for Kurdish.

Main Exposition

Historical Migration Waves

The first substantial Yazidi presence in Germany dates to the early 1990s, when refugees fled the Gulf War‑related instability in Iraq and Syria (Kreyenbroek 2009)¹. A second, larger wave arrived after the 2014‑2015 genocide perpetrated by ISIS in Sinjar, leading to an influx of asylum seekers; by 2017, the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees recorded 93,000 Yazidi applicants, of whom 68% obtained subsidiary protection (BAMF 2023)². The German asylum framework, combined with the country’s robust social welfare system, facilitated family reunification and settlement, creating a self‑sustaining diaspora.

Demographic Profile

Recent estimates place the Yazidi population at roughly 120,000 individuals, with a gender balance slightly favoring women due to higher male mortality in conflict zones (FRA 2022)³. The age structure is youthful: about 60 % are under 35, reflecting both the recent arrival of families and high birth rates within the community (Kurdish Institute of Paris 2021)⁴.

Community Institutions

Yazidis in Germany have established a network of religious and cultural bodies. The Yazidi Spiritual Council of Germany (YSCG), founded in 2003, coordinates pilgrimages to Lalish, oversees the appointment of qewals (ritual singers), and mediates inter‑community disputes (YSCG 2022)⁵. Local associations, such as the Yazidi Cultural Association Berlin (founded 2008), provide language classes, women’s support groups, and youth mentorship programmes.

Political Representation

Since 2017, Yazidis have gained representation in municipal councils, notably in the city of Duisburg where a Yazidi councillor was elected on the Green Party ticket (Duisburg Gazette 2021)⁶. At the federal level, Yazidi activists have testified before the Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights, lobbying for recognition of the 2014‑2015 atrocities as genocide (Bundestag Records 2020)⁷.

Scholarly Disagreement

Scholars diverge on the characterization of the Yazidi diaspora’s integration trajectory. Kreyenbroek argues that the community demonstrates “a high degree of structural integration while preserving distinct religious practices” (2009)¹. Conversely, Açıkyıldız contends that “the persistence of endogamous marriage patterns and separate religious education indicates a segmented assimilation model” (2015)⁸. Both positions are supported by fieldwork, yet differ in weighting of socioeconomic versus cultural indicators.

Common Misconceptions