Condemnation of ISIS cruelty towards the Yazidis by Islamic Scholars & Leaders

Dear All: This is a hurried post – mainly to create a place-holder to list condemnation of ISIS’ brutality and cruelty towards Yazidis by Islamic scholars and leaders worldwide..I was moved to pen this post after reading this heart-rending account of the plight of these innocent people caught in the cross-fire of “Jihad”:

For the past week, Khandhar Kaliph’s hands have trembled whenever his phone has rung. He nervously greeted his daughter, who had been kidnapped when the Islamic State (Isis) overran the Yazidi city of Sinjar. There was a minute of silence, before he broke down sobbing.

“She said she is going to be sold as a slave this afternoon, for $10,” Kaliph said, his tears dropping into the brown dust. “What can a father say to that. How can I help? We all feel so useless.”

Kaliph’s daughter, who he did not want to name, had access to a group phone passed around between other girls imprisoned by the Islamic State in Bardoush prison in central Mosul. All face the imminent prospect of being married off. Or worse, being used by the jihadis as a sex slave.

“The world needs to know that is where our women are, where they are being enslaved, young and old alike,” he said, sitting in the dirt outside a building site near the Iraqi Kurdish city of Dohuk that he and some 70 other Yazidis are now using as shelter.

…..

Of all the minorities ousted by the Isis advance, the Yazidis continue to pay the biggest price. Their self-contained existence on the Ninevah plains, where they had long been in the cross-hairs of jihadis, has been shattered in a bloodlust that has also sent the area’s Christians, Shabbak Shias and Turkmen fleeing to Irbil. A large number of those who fled Sinjar climbed the nearby mountain range, where many remain trapped.

The jihadis regard the Yazidis, who practice a Zoroastrarian religion, as devil worshippers and have been more ruthless in their pursuit of them than they have against other minorities.

Those who have reached the Kurdish north to tell their stories say they are never going back. “It is finished,” said Kaliph. “There is no Iraq. There is no past either. It is a scorched earth. “But don’t forget about those who have been left behind.”

What the Yazidis are going through will probably be remembered as one of the most barbaric episodes in recent history. Nothing in the recent past (20-odd years) rivals it (I think) in terms of scale, the terrifying nature of the ordeal and the seeming helplessness of the international community.

ISIS claims to be inspired by Islam. And therefore the challenge to them cannot be limited merely to the political – or the military. It also needs to be at the level of ideology. Specifically, I feel it is incumbent on Islamic scholars and leaders world-wide to unequivocally condemn this barbarism. This is already happening (e.g. the condemnation by British Imams and by Cairo’s Grand Mufti) but I do not have enough direct references/statements (yet) condemning the cruelty towards Yazidis.

Why am I more interested in Yazidis? The clue is in The Guardian’s report above (see the bit in bold).   I fervently hope these atrocities are being (and will be) condemned by Islamic scholars & leaders world-wide. This post is a place-holder to list all such condemnation and statements.

  1. The first on this list is this article by Sohaib Sultan, Chaplain at Princeton (8th Aug, courtesy @HindMakki) in which he writes: Throughout recent history the Yazidis have been oppressed and their religion largely misunderstood as Satan worship (which it is not)….There is, arguably, one reference to the ancient religion of the Yazidis (referred to as Magians) in the Quran in which it simply says, “Verily, as for those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], and those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians [on the one hand,] and those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught but God, [on the other,] verily, God will decide between them on Resurrection Day….ISIS would do well to, truly, let God decide rather than act as tyrannical judges and lords over the Yazidis and others.” 
  2. The second (somewhat dated) is by the “most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric of Baghdad and head of the Iraqi Scholars Association in the South” in which  he “condemned the killing of 28 Yazidi citizens and the displacement of 3,000 Christian families from Mosul” (21st July, courtesy @kaaashif ).

Pl add to this list via the comments section below. Please do mention an email address. If you do not wish to reveal your email address, please use this email address: satyacomment AT gmail.com. If you love the “fine print”, pl read my comments policy). जय हिंद, जय भारत! – शान्तनु

B Shantanu

Political Activist, Blogger, Advisor to start-ups, Seed investor. One time VC and ex-Diplomat. Failed mushroom farmer; ex Radio Jockey. Currently involved in Reclaiming India - One Step at a Time.

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18 Responses

  1. B Shantanu says:

    From The massacre of the Yazidis, August 12, 2014 by Sanjeev Sanyal, the remarkable possibility of Yazidis being ancient Hindus…. Excerpts below..
    … The Christians of Mosul were given the choice to convert, pay the jiziya tax or leave. The Yazidis were given no such choice.

    Terrible as these may be, the worst persecution has been aimed at a tiny community that now faces extinction — the Yazidis.

    The small town of Sinjar, the only place in the world with a Yazidi majority, fell to the IS in August and there are several reports of massacres. News reports suggest that 500 Yazidis, including children, were massacred in the town in a single instance, many buried alive. Hundreds of young women have been enslaved, and dozens are said to have killed themselves rather than be captured. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of refugees have fled into the neighbouring mountains where they are trapped in encircled enclaves. When US-backed rescue operations finally broke through to one such enclave on Mt Sinjar, they found thousands who had died of thirst.

    Although influenced by Christianity and Islam, the Yazidi religion has ancient roots that go back at least to the late Bronze Age. Interestingly, their beliefs have many similarities with Hinduism — for instance, they believe in reincarnation, say their prayers facing the sun at sunrise and sunset, etc. They also worship Tawuse-Melek, the peacock angel — a bird not found in Yazidi lands, but only in the Indian subcontinent.
    Once, these cultural links would have been explained away in terms of an “Aryan invasion” from Central Asia. However, we now know that the great Harappan cities were abandoned due to climate change and the drying of the Saraswati river around 2000 BC. Most people moved on to the Ganga or went south, thereby seeding Indic civilisation. But, did some groups migrate west? There is a lot of evidence of Indian links with the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Zoroastrianism, the religion of ancient Iran and of their Parsi descendants, is clearly related to Vedic religion and the oldest Zoroastrian texts — the Gathas — are composed in a language very close to Rig Vedic Sanskrit.
    Intriguingly, there is evidence of an Indian tribe that may have migrated even further west. We have details of a treaty between the Hittites and the Mitanni around 1380 BC. The Mitanni were a tribe that once ruled over the same area now inhabited by the Yazidi and the treaty invokes the names of Vedic gods Indra, Varuna, Nasatya and Mitra. We also know that the Mitanni were not locals but had come from the east. The names of their leaders and several of their military and equestrian terms also appear to be derived from Sanskrit. Most intriguingly, Mitanni art shows peacocks and peacock-like griffins.
    Are the Yazidis descendants of the Mitanni? We do not know for sure, but it is certainly an intriguing possibility, especially since recent genetic studies show that certain lineages commonly found in northern India are also found in eastern Iran and among the Kurds (no specific data is available on the Yazidi).
    Over time, the Yazidis were dubbed as “devil-worshippers” and subjected to constant persecution. It was especially extreme under the Ottoman Turks in the 18th and 19th centuries. A series of massacres killed thousands and almost led to their extinction. Under Saddam Hussain, they were not subjected to overt religious persecution, but remained under pressure to Arabise their culture. Matters have become much worse since the dictator was deposed. In April 2007, gunmen dragged 23 Yazidi men from a bus and shot them dead. In August that year, a series of coordinated car-bombs killed at least 300 more, including women and children.
    The Yazidis now face their greatest crisis.

    So, who will give refuge to the Yazidis?
    For centuries, many persecuted minorities have found refuge in India: Jews exiled after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Zoroastrians who fled Iran in the 8th century, and Tibetan Buddhists in the 20th. Perhaps, 21st century Indians should consider providing refuge to their distant cousins.

  2. B Shantanu says:

    Some exchanges on twitter re. this post…
    *****
    Obaid Khan ‏@KhanSaab85
    @satyamevajayate @asadowaisi @kaaashif ISIS have nothing to do with Islam, they are working to malign the name of Islam

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate 50m
    .@KhanSaab85 If so, why don’t the Imams & Maulvis issue a “fatwa” against Al-Baghdadi & his followers? Tht would put the matter to rest.

    Obaid Khan ‏@KhanSaab85 13m
    @satyamevajayate and frankly speaking, there is a common feeling among Muslim that ISIS is funded by mossad, that is y dey destroyed mosques

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate 22s
    .@KhanSaab85 If Muslims blv ISIS is funded by Mossad, why don’t leaders of the Islamic world say so publicly/openly? Pl share links if any
    *****

    Obaid Khan ‏@KhanSaab85 16m
    @satyamevajayate in the Friday sermons, imams of local mosques have beencondemning those terrorists, unfortunately media is not highlighting

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate 3m
    .@KhanSaab85 Forget highlighting. Jst shw me the reports. Btw, hw abt media in the Gulf? Are thy also not reporting such condemnation?
    *****

    mohsin ‏@mohsindubai 1h
    @satyamevajayate @asadowaisi @kaaashif true we condemn the act of ISIS if they really there they are not follower of islam

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate 49m
    .@mohsindubai Good to know that. How about requesting yr Imams & Maulvis to issue a “fatwa” against Al-Baghdadi & his followers?

    mohsin ‏@mohsindubai 39m
    @satyamevajayate @asadowaisi brother fatwa is not a joke 2take everytime 2 tom dick and harry its purly understand that islam never teach

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate 6m
    .@mohsindubai Ok/So hrs anthr request. Help me fnd statemnts cndemning ISIS barbarity towrds Yazidis by Islamic scholars/leaders @asadowaisi
    *****

  3. B Shantanu says:

    A few links…
    First, a book detailing the historical background of the Yazidis:
    The Other Kurds: Yazidis in Colonial Iraq By Nelida Fuccaro.

    Second, 15 Harrowing Photos Of Iraq’s Yazidi Fleeing The Advance Of ISIS by Miriam Berger (Disturbing)

  4. B Shantanu says:

    More from twitter…
    ***
    ABDUL KADER ‏@AbdulkaderMB 38m
    @satyamevajayate @kaaashif Why to condemned ISIS or any other Muslim organisation ? The mele is conspired by US, Israel & Saudi Arabia.

    B Shantanu ‏@satyamevajayate
    .@AbdulkaderMB Just to clarify, are you saying tht Americans, Israeli & Saudis are colluding in the guise of ISIS & killing Yazidis?

  5. B Shantanu says:

    2 links condemning ISIS atrocity towards Christians but no word on Yazidis (yet):
    “The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) condemns the forced expulsion of the Christian brothers of Iraq from their homes, cities and provinces,” the group said in a statement posted on the website of its leader, the influential cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi on Tuesday.[source]

    and
    The most explicit condemnation came from Iyad Ameen Madani, the Secretary General for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the group representing 57 countries, and 1.4 billion Muslims. [source]

  6. अरुण says:

    .”ISIS would do well to, truly, let God decide rather than act as tyrannical judges and lords over the Yazidis and others”

    This is condemnation??
    Shantanu ji you have a sense of humour. Is he condemning ISIS or the Yazidis?? Let God decide, why? are they not free to follow their faith will Islam decide which religion’s followers will live and which religion’s will be slaughtered??

    A muslim scholar who denounces ISIS and lives anywhere in Asia will be a man of courage.

  7. B Shantanu says:

    From Arab League denounces ISIS attacks as “crimes against humanity”,
    …Arab League Chief Nabil al-Arabi denounced Monday the “crimes against humanity” committed by ISIS militants in Iraq against the minority Yazidi sect, demanding the perpetrators be brought to justice, Agence France-Presse reported.

    Al-Arabi “strongly denounced the crimes, killings, dispossession carried out by the terrorist (ISIS) against civilians and minorities in Iraq that have affected Christians in Mosul and Yazidis,” he said in a statement.

    Referring to reports of hundreds of Yazidis killed in the ISIS onslaught, al-Arabi said “these terrorist crimes amount to crimes against humanity that cannot be overlooked.”

  8. B Shantanu says:

    Meanwhile, it appears that Obama’s optimism about the situation in Iraq may be misplaced…
    From a Washington Post report,

    The governor of the Kurdistan’s Dahuk province, where most of the Yazidis have fled, said he was told on Wednesday to prepare to receive 15,000 Yazidis who were to be airlifted from the mountain by the U.S. military.
    …Farhad Atruchi (Governor) said he believes that a large number remain trapped and are unable to leave because they are too weak to make the journey.

    “For me, this is not correct,” he said of an assessment by the U.S. military that most of the Yazidis appeared now to have escaped. “I don’t know the exact number, whether it is 10,000 or 15,000 or 5,000, but they are there.”
    After more than 10 days living out in the open with little access to food or water, they are in poor condition and their health is deteriorating, he said.
    “Everyone knows that under the sun, the heat, these people are suffering, and still the international community is not moving,” Atruchi said. “What will happen is that they will die, especially the children, the kids.”

  9. Farmaan says:

    THE YAZIDI – HINDU MYTH

    There has been a myth in the Internet that the Yazidis primary source of worsip “TELEK MAUS” is actually an inspiration from a Hindu God “MURUGAN”.

    Yazidis have most of their roots to Zoroastrianism, pre-Islamic Mesopotamian (present day Iraq) and Assyrian traditions.

    Their idea of fire worship is mostly centered around Zoroastrianism whose prime ideology of worship revolves around the fire.

    Just because some of their practices are similar to Hindus does not mean their whole Ideology is from Hinduism.

    One can find some practices and similarities on between almost all the religions on the earth. That merely does not necessarily mean, that one religion might have inspired from the other.

    Yazidism is a MONOTHEISTIC relgion unlike Hinduism.

    Yazidis believe that the fallen angel called LUCIFER in Christianity, IBLIS in Islam, commonly called as SATAN in English or SHAYTAAN in Arabic, who rebelled against God for now bowing to ADAM, is actually a mediator between God and Humanity.

    When the Hindu scriptures do not say anything about Adam and eve, which Christianity, Islam and Judaism believes, how come Yazidis are ancient Hindu religion?

    Arguably, the Yazidi worship what Christians or Muslims might call “Satan”, though the Yazidi call him “Melek Taus”, and he appears in the form of a peacock angel.

    Why might Melek Taus be “the devil”? For a start, the Yazidi believe the peacock angel led a rebellion in heaven: clearly echoing the story of Lucifer, cast into Hell by the Christian God.

    Also, the very word “Melek” is cognate with “Moloch”, the name of a Biblical demon – who demanded human sacrifice.

    The avian imagery of Melek Taus likewise indicates a demonic aspect. The Yazidi come from the ancient lands of Sumeria and Assyria, in modern-day Turkey, Iraq and Kurdistan. Sumerian gods were often cruel, and equipped with beaks and wings. Birdlike. Three thousand years ago the Assyrians worshipped flying demons, spirits of the desert wind. One was the scaly-winged demon in The Exorcist: Pazuzu.

    The Yazidi reverence for birds – and snakes – also appears to be extremely old. Excavations at ancient Catalhoyuk, in Turkey, show that the people there revered bird-gods as long ago as 7000BC. Even older is Gobekli Tepe, a megalithic site near Sanliurfa, in Kurdish Turkey (Sanliurfa was once a stronghold of Yazidism). The extraordinary temple of Gobekli Tepe boasts carvings of winged birdmen, and images of buzzards and serpents.

    Clearly, It has no roots to HINDUISM BY ANY MEANS!

    Moreover, Yazidis do circumcision like Jews and Muslims, while the Hindus don’t.

    Yazidis eat meat, sacrifice sheep, goats and chickens during their festivals, while Hindus don’t.

    Yazidis bury the dead bodies unlike Hindus who burn it!

    So, to conclude, Yazidism has no roots of Hinduism. IT IS A HOAX

  10. B Shantanu says:

    @Farmaan (#9): I notice that your comment has almost been lifted in toto from this site http://kiranasis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/yazidi-and-hindu-similarity.html where “Azhar Uddin” has made this very same comment (Not sure if you are the same person; if you are, why bother commenting under a different name)? If not, why are you copying stuff from others without even an acknowledgement.
    While on this, both you and Azhar Uddin have lifeted entire paragraphs straight from another blog – again without the decency of acknowledging the original source (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100282674/death-of-a-religion-isis-and-the-yezidi/). This hardly inspires confidence to engage with you in a serious debate.
    In any case, almost all your points have been adequately answered in the comments section of Kiran’s post on “Yazidi and Hindu similarity” so I will not repeat that stuff here.
    But it is necessary for me to point out that my post is *not* about similarities between Yazidis and Hindus but the lack of condemnation of these atrocities by Islamic scholars and leaders. Pl see follow-up here: https://satyameva-jayate.org/2014/08/15/isis-yazidis-condemnation/
    You are welcome to have a debate on this particular aspect. Thanks

  11. k.harapriya says:

    Exactly why are people horrified by what ISIS is doing? Isn’t this exactly what has happened to various native populations when Islamic invaders came? Why are we still surprised at the brutality? The reason the ISIS is brutal is because their ideology which comes from their holy book is brutal. Please examine the Islamic holy books and you will realize where these beliefs and practices come from.

  12. Farmaan says:

    @ B.Shantanu

    Getting inspired from someone’s comment, is not copying! Just like how hindus copy comments and articles from the same blog and proclaim as if they made a thorough historical analysis themselves!

    Yazidis do not believe in the concept of any sort of Evil / Demon / Bad Omen / Devil or Vicious characters or personalities and are staunchly against such ideologies or beliefs

    The Christians and Jews believe Satan / Evil by the name of “LUCIFER”, The Fallen Angel who disobeyed God and Muslims believe the same satan by the name of “IBLIS”

    The Hindus too believe in the “RAKSHAS”.

    Hinduism has Evil / Demonic personalities like

    Kali (Considered as a Goddess of the destruction of evil and the consort of Lord Shiva)

    Andhaka (who was killed by Shiva for sexual lust for Parvati)

    Bhuta (regarded as a bad soul who died by suicide or execution)

    Durga (Considered as a manifestation of Shakti depicted with 10 hands carrying a lot of weapons)

    Shani (An angry God who destroys peace and prosperity if displeased)

    Ravana (Regarded as a Evil figure for kidnapping Sita and considered as a epitome of unrighteousness and wickedness)

    How come Yazidis have evolved from Hinduism when Hinduism have so much Evil figures when the Yazidis strongly oppose such beliefs and imaginations?

    I AM OPEN FOR A HEALTHY DEBATE AS YOU INSISTED.

    “EVIDENCE SPEAKS LOUDER THAN CLAIMS”

    Claiming through similarities based on some practices have no value. You got to provide authentic resources or sources from trust-worthy historians!

  13. B Shantanu says:

    @Farmaan (#12): “Getting inspired”? Without even an acknowledgement?!
    In any case, please read before you comment..
    Repeating what I wrote above:
    …it is necessary for me to point out that my post is *not* about similarities between Yazidis and Hindus but the lack of condemnation of these atrocities by Islamic scholars and leaders.
    You are welcome to have a debate on this particular aspect.

    Note that irrelevant comments will be deleted without notice. And I retain the right to amend/modify/edit any/all comments.

  14. Farmaan says:

    If that is the case than this video might help I suppose.

    http://youtu.be/KKjAt6lIlgY and http://youtu.be/KtgGDq7tbwk

  15. B Shantanu says:

    @Farmaan: Once again, pl read before commenting. I have already referred to the British Imam’s condemnation in my post above (which you seem to have not read) and also mentioned …but I do not have enough direct references/statements (yet) condemning the cruelty towards Yazidis. . This holds true for the second video link you shared. Pl do look at the title of the post (and might help if you read the post itself).

    Pl be aware that any further comments that are off-topic will be deleted.

    Update: Just saw the second link. The condemnation appears to be specifically reserved for ISIS killing Muslims (unless I missed the reference to Christians and Yazidis).

  16. B Shantanu says:

    Welcome development: Indian Muslims unequivocally condemn brutal atrocities of ISIS, 19 August 2014:

    Muslim intellectuals and activists issued a joint statement denouncing religious intolerance, persecution and violence in the name of Islam.

  17. Shantanu Dey says:

    @farmaan – you are unfortunately extremely ignorant about Hinduism. You need to know that Hindus worshiped fire – the five sacred fires during Mahabharata period and before that. All Vedic rituals are based on fire, Agni was one of the major gods. Hinduism at its core is monist as it believes in One Supreme Being who has manifested in diverse forms and names to suit the tastes of different needs of different devotees and their temperaments during the Puranic age. Hindus or atleast some section worshipped Nagas (Yazidis I believe you said worship snake). Gaduda is a sacred bird, the vehicle of Vishnu in Hinduism and from the post it seems that the peacock worshipped by Yazidis may be Gaduda. Peacpt, even peacocks are enemies of snakes and so was Gaduda an enemy of Nagas. The fact that they Yazidis believe in reincarnation makes them distant relatives of the East as very few in Middle East Asia believed in such a concepts, even though there are statements in favour of reincarnation in New Testament by Christ himself, which he probably got from his long association with a Buddhist sect, the Nazarenes.

    You probably need to know that Melek (and Moloch) is also not so distant relation of Malik/Malek, (vide Swami Vivekananda Complete Works) or the way we refer to God in Indian subcontinent. You also probably need to know that what you guys call Satan, in Vedanta we call it as Avidya Maya, one which leads to ignorance and destruction. You also need to know that Kali, Durga etc. are not demons but a representation/manifestation of Shakti or the power of the Supreme Brahman in Vedanta and that Brahman and its Shakti are one and the same.

    Once again, please do not flaunt your ignorance in a public forum. You’ll become a laughing stock for most Hindus who know their religion.

  18. yupp!!! says:

    *** COMMENT EDITED ***
    What is so surprising? Even the condemning of killing of xtians is fake. Wate another century and u can see this happening in india as well. @shantanu: I would disagree. There are a few similarities but that is as far as it goes. There was some contact in the past and ideas might have changed hands(hinduism spread as far suthern russia and beyon iran befor islam). Yazidis are very abrahamic. Moreover they beleaved that they are superior to rest of humanity as they beleave they are the decendants of adam alone whereas rest are from adam and ewe. @Farmaan: kali and durga aren’t demons. They are Godesses. It must be very difficult for u to grasp the idea that women are same as mens and divinity can also be in women. Also animal sacrifice is practiced in hinduism. Gadhimai festival is the largest. Mainstreem hinduism, with the influence of buddhism and jainism left sacrifice but it is still practiced in Tantra, Shaktism and Shivaism. And next time u try to demonize( I know u studied in an anti india madarassa so I will tell u the word demonize’s meaning, it means to refer to someone as demon who is in reality not, fairly offencive term) somebody else’s god..