There Are Rivers in the Sky

The Yazidis are a religious minority who occupy parts of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran—the region that was known in ancient times as Mesopotamia. The Yazidis are predominantly ethnically Kurdish and practice a syncretic religion with ancient roots. Yazidism has elements similar to those of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam but is distinctly non-Abrahamic. The Yazidis were gaining geographical territory and political influence during the 13th and 14th centuries, earning the ire of Muslim rulers in the areas surrounding their homelands by the early 15th century. This led to the beginning of a series of massacres and forced conversions that the Yazidis have continued to experience into modern times (Jalabi, Raya. “Who Are the Yazidis and Why Is Isis Hunting Them?” The Guardian, 2014). A large portion of the Yazidi community emigrated to Germany in the second half of the 20th century. In the book, Narin’s relatives who live in Hanover unsuccessfully try to convince her family to join them in Germany, where it will be safer for them.

Part of the historical persecution that the Yazidis have faced originated in a power struggle between the community and their neighboring Islamic rulers. However, it persists in part due to an enduring misunderstanding about their religion and community. The Yazidis have been termed “devil worshippers,” a term used in the subtitle of Austen Henry Layard’s book, Nineveh and Its Remains. The Yazidis worship a figure named Malak Taus, also known as the “peacock angel,” who is misrepresented as a fallen angel. Christianity and Islam draw parallels between the concept of a fallen angel and the devil, leading them to view the Yazidis as not just apostates but “devil worshipers” (Kolstad, Kristine. “5 Things You Should Know About the Yezidis.” Norwegian Refugee Council, 2018). Another misconception surrounding the origin of the Yazidis lies in their name. Sunni extremists believe that the Yazidis were founded by Yazid ibn Muawiya, the “deeply unpopular second caliph of the Umayyad dynasty” (Jalabi). In reality, the Yazidis derive their name from the Persian word ized, meaning “angel” or “deity”; ironically, the term “Yazidi” thus translates to “worshippers of god.” Extremists, such as ISIS (Islamic Sate of Iraq and Syria), exploit the misunderstandings surrounding the Yazidis to justify atrocities committed against the community. Of the numerous times the Yazidis have been massacred and persecuted throughout their history, the most recent remains the 2014 slaughter carried out by a group of ISIS militants—the same one that Narin survived. As described in the book, close to half a million Yazidis were besieged by the militant group at Mount Sinjar, with the men being put to death and the women and children abducted and forced into sexual slavery.