Society

Lalish Temple, the spiritual heart of the Yazidi faith, has been on Iraq’s UNESCO tentative list since 2020. This article examines the cultural criteria it fulfills, the post‑ISIS restoration challenges, and the Yazidi community’s views on its World Heritage nomination.

Yazidi marriage combines early arranged unions, strict endogamy, a bride‑price system, and distinct caste rules. Family life is organized around monogamous households, with polygyny limited to elite figures, while diaspora communities adapt these traditions under new legal contexts.

Stranbêj singers—Yazidi vocal artists who preserve and perform traditional repertoire—are trained through a blend of oral apprenticeship, familial lineage, and emerging institutional programs. This article surveys historic master‑apprentice methods, contemporary school models, gender dynamics, and regional variations across the Yazidi world.

Yazidis in Turkey are not formally recognised as a distinct minority under Turkish law, despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Their legal standing is shaped by a mix of constitutional provisions, the 1982 Constitution’s minority framework, and practical state policies that often limit full enjoyment of rights.

The 2014 Sinjar genocide inflicted severe mental‑health trauma on Yazidi children, leading to high rates of post‑traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and identity disruption. Studies conducted in displacement camps and diaspora settings consistently report prevalence rates above 40 % for major psychiatric disorders.

Yazidi survivors of the ISIS genocide resettled in Germany face unique challenges in accessing health care and mental‑health services. This article examines barriers, German programmes, and the role of cultural factors in shaping utilisation.

Yazidi women in Iraq and the diaspora confront intersecting barriers—gender, religious minority status, and displacement—that limit their participation in formal religious education. Recent reports highlight gaps in policy implementation, trauma‑informed services, and community‑based learning opportunities.

The Adawiyya Order, founded by the 12th‑century mystic Sheikh ‘Adi, provided the theological and institutional template for the Yazidi priesthood. Its doctrines shaped the roles of the Mîr, Baba Sheikh, Sheikhs and Pirs that structure Yazidi religious authority today.

Since the mid‑19th century, Western press, missionaries, and later novelists and filmmakers have depicted Yazidis through a shifting lens—from sensationalist “devil‑worshiper” stereotypes to more nuanced, empathetic representations. This article traces that evolution and highlights scholarly debates and common misconceptions.

Yazidis in Iraq rely on a hybrid legal framework that blends community‑issued religious contracts with the national Personal Status Law, which defaults to Islamic Sharia when no specific statute exists. This article details how marriage, divorce, and inheritance are regulated, the role of the Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Council, and the interaction with Iraqi courts.