The two alleged yazidi holy books translated below are in fact forgeries, produced at an uncertain date by outsiders, incorporating genuine yazidi material but mixed in with outside elements. Efforts by women of faith to achieve gender equality center for. Yazidi are a religious group, now a tiny minority in sharia nations where they and zoroastrians, along with christians and jews were once the majority populations. Daughters of kobani tells story of allwomen kurdish combat. The yazidi book of revelation kiteba cilwe in kurdish. Apr 04, 2021 dohuk, iraq with rows of white tents filling a windswept hillside, the khanke camp in northern iraq shelters about 14,000 men, women and children from the yazidi religious minority. Therefore, the history of the yazidi is an oral history kizilhan, 2014. With the arrival of a larger number of european and american travelers in the region in the 19th century, a market for yazidi books was created, served by members of the local christian community who purveyed manuscripts to curious. Some religions have religious texts which they view as divinely or supernaturally. The yezidi religious beliefs and customs also vary from region to region. Among the earliest kurdish religious texts is the yazidi black book, the sacred book of yazidi faith. Mashaf res the black book mashaf res the black book appendix to part i the poem in praise of sei. Who are the yazidi people, and what are their beliefs. The yazidi holy books were said to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book.
Jul 11, 2017 it is also important to note that yazidis rely upon two incomplete texts that are currently in existence. Additionally, there are some yazidi villages and towns in talkeef and bashiqa district, and in duhok. Yazidism is considered by its adherents to be the oldest religion in the world. And therefore, it is quite legitimate to speak of the unity of both the yazidi religious identity and yazidi ethnicity. One of the core elements of yezidi religious practice is the propitiation of the evil.
Yazidism is an ancient religion that is strictly endogamous. Since then it has garnered much critical attention by ethnologists and theologians, receiving condemnation in some quarters as a fake, and in others a nod of approval as being possibly the only legitimate text along with the book of the revelation that gives some insight into these remarkable people and their. Yazidis on the mountain of regions with significant populations iraq 650,000, germany armenia 35,272, georgia denmark 500, yazidi book of revelation yazidi black book the yazidis also yazidi, ezidi, yazdani community whose syncretic but ancient religion yazidism a kind of zoroastrianism and ancient mesop. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by nonyazidis in the 19th century and then were passed off as ancient manuscripts but that their contents do in fact reflect authentic yazidi oral tradition. Mashaf res the black book internet sacred text archive. Sufi influence and imagery can be seen in the religious vocabulary, especially in the terminology of the yazidis esoteric literature, but much of the. The earliest accounts of the yazidis beliefs, ceremonies and customs was. The yazidi book of revelation keteba jelwa, a text generally believed to have been written by nonyazidis along with the yazidi black book in the early twentiethcentury but based on yazidi oral tradition, even though a nineteenthcentury translation of the text exists, is purported to contain the words of tawuse melek. English text of the revelation, from devil worship. Religion is fundamental to kurdish history and culture but the kurds multiplicity of faiths and. Here are five ways in which women of faith are fighting for gender. The largest group of yazidis live in iraq, near mosul, but there are small communities in syria, turkey, georgia, and armenia. Because their religion venerates a peacock angel whose mythology is similar to that of iblis, the islamic satan, outside observers have long accused the yazidis of being devil worshipers.
Sep 17, 2014 a religious fundamentalist, albaghdadi is fighting for the systematic removal of the yazidi along with all other religious minority groups in iraq and syria. The quran, literally meaning the recitation, also romanized quran or koran, is the central religious text of islam, which muslims believe to be a revelation from god allah. Yazidism is not linked to zoroastrianism but rather to ancient mesopotamian religions. Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god, satan. Its leaders both reside in the iraqi town of ain sifni. Kitab alilwa book of revelations and the mishefa res black book in. May 14, 2020 the yazidi book of revelation is one of two books on the yazidi religion written in the style of a holy book in the kurmanji dialect of the northern kurdish language, the other being the yazidi black book mishefa res in kurdish. Jan 29, 2016 finally, the yazidi religion also includes various practices of jewish or islamic origin, such as holy ablutions, the prohibition of certain foods, circumcision widespread but not compulsory, fasting and the interpretation of dreams. Isis controls major cities on both sides of the iraqi border which have allowed them to mobilize and procure enough weaponry to arm their fight across the entire region. Scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 19 were. Yazidis are kurdish ethno religious community predominantly living in northern iraq with large communities in sinjar and shekhan, where a number of their holy sites are located, turkey, iran and some of them are scattered in the european w. Although his own teachings were strictly orthodox, the beliefs of his followers.
Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. The relative authority of religious texts develops over time and is derived from the ratification. When moses got the slaves released from egypt, they tried to go back to israel, but found the land inhabited by a germanic people who had migrated from europe. The extremists took over the kurdish town of sinjar, forcing its population of yazidi minorities to flee. Two short books, kitab aljilwah book of revelation and maafrash black book, form the sacred scriptures of the yazidis. Berkovic has deeply mixed feelings about the world of modern orthodoxy that she lives in, but she seems to live mostly satisfied within that world, or at least the joys of her life.
The black book of polish jewry, a 1943 statement of the association of jewish refugees and immigrants from poland on the holocaust of polish jews. Although the societal myth about yazidism being a religion of devil worship has been dispelled, there still remain slight misconceptions. Jan 02, 2020 although yazidi theology is based on oral tradition, passed on through hymns, they do have two holy books. Yazidi black book, one of the two holy books of the yazidi religion kurdish language black book of clanranald, on clan history, literature and poems. Feb 16, 2021 daughters of kobani tells story of allwomen kurdish combat units who fought is this was a movement with religious freedom and multiethnic governance with women at the center, said the. The yazidis cultural practices are observably kurdish, and almost all speak kurmanji northern kurdish, with the exception of the villages of baiqa and bahazane in northern iraq, where arabic is spoken. Sufi influence and imagery can be seen in the religious vocabulary, especially in the terminology of the yazidis esoteric literature, but much of the theology is nonislamic. Aug 15, 2014 the basis of the yazidis holy scriptures are two books the book of revelation not to be confused by the christian text with the same name and the black book. The black book also includes narratives of how the yazidi people have been targeted by jews, christians, persians, and muslims, who have tried to subdue the yazidi people, to no avail. Black book of carmarthen, one of the earliest surviving manuscripts written entirely in welsh. The black book of the yezidis was first published in english over 120 years ago. The black book list, the list of people to be arrested by the gestapo following a planned nazi invasion of britain in the second world war the black book morrison book, a 1974 book by toni morrison. The author describes the yezidi belief system which considers tawusi melek the peacock angel to be ruler of the earth and its religious practices and observances, analysing the most important facets of yezidi religious art and architecture including funerary monuments and zoomorphic tombstones and their relationship to their neighbours throughout the middle east. The manuscripts of both books were published in 1911 and 19 were forgeries written by nonyezidis in response to western travelers and scholars interest in the yazidi religion.
They differ from literary texts by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices, commandments or laws, ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and for creating or fostering a religious community. Kurdish languages wikipedia in addition, the estimate claims that other minorities form 5% of the countrys population, including the turkmenturcoman, chaldeans, yezidis, shabak, kakai, bedouin s, roma, assyrians, circassians, sabaean. It is believed that a population of crypto jews settled the area when the inquisition reached mexico. Additionally, there are some yazidi villages and towns in talkeef and bashiqa district, and in. A kurdish tribal group of nomadic clans numbering 60,000 to 70,000 persons indigenous to the area of northern iraq and eastern turkey diyarbekir, they practice a heterodox religion incorporating islamic, christian, jewish, and pagan elements. Daughters of kobani tells story of allwomen kurdish. Iranian religions as well as elements of judaism, nestorian christianity, and islam. These include baptism, dualism, the prohibition of certain foods, circumcision, fasting, pilgrimage. Yazidi, member of a kurdish religious minority found primarily in northern iraq. Isis crimes against the yazidis security council report. Kurmanji is the language of almost all the orally transmitted religious traditions of the yazidis. The yazidi holy books are claimed to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. This secrecy is also claimed in the yezidi holy books which guest.
The meshafa rash or yazidi black book is one of two books written in. God says in the second yazidi holy book, the mishefa resh, i allow. As a result of the pressure of being forced to convert to islam, the eretreated to the hills and had only limited contact to the other groups. According to members of the jewish community, there are approximately 800 to. According to mohammedan tradition zazil or azazil was the original name of the devil. We had a king in babel whose name was bukhtinossor nebuchadnezzer, and. The yazidi holy books are claimed to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res. By the reckoning at, the religious calendar traces back 6,764 years, a. Esoteric knowledge contained in the religious texts is confined to a very limited number of people, with most taking practical advice from the men of religion. Some yezidis interviewed at the celebration said the temple was an important. Islamic state sunni extremists made major gains in iraqs north in august 2014.
Spurious examples of socalled yazidi religious texts include the yazidi black book and the yazidi book of revelation, which were forged in the early 20th century. The yazidi religious centre and object of the annual pilgrimage is the tomb of sheikh. According to the researcher victoria arakelova, yazidism is a unique phenomenon, one of the most remarkable illustrations of ethno religious identity, centred on a religion the yazidis call sharfadin. The yazidis are a kurdish minority group who follow a syncretic religion that draws on aspects of ancient mesopotamian faiths, zoroastrianism, and the abrahamic faiths. Religion with near 800,000 members worldwide other estimates set this as low as 100,000, but the higher figures are more likely. History, facts and traditions of iraqs persecuted minority.
Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god. Finally, the yazidi religion also includes various practices of jewish or islamic. The meshafa rash or yazidi black book is one of two books written in the. Researchers believe that the yazidi creed has elements from zoroastrianism, manicheism, judaism, christianity, and islam. Surrounded by people of the book, yazidis have felt the pressure in the past to have a written scripture, and rumors have abounded for centuries of a yazidi holy text, referred to as cilwe, revelation, or mes. Yazidism has until recently been a religion of orthodox practice and right living, rather than of dogma. Yazidi accounts of creation differ from those of judaism, christianity and islam, and are closer to those of zoroastrianism. The book of revelation and black book remain, however, the most prominent texts associated with the socalled devil worshipers of mesopotamia. Kurdish language is the language of almost all the orally transmitted religious traditions of the yazidis. Zeedees are an ethnically kurdish religious community or an ethno religious group indigenous to northern mesopotamia. In addition to the kurdish speaking majority, there are significant yazidi communities that speak arabic as their native language. Adi the principal prayer of the yezidis seven classes of yezidis articles of faith notes on part i part ii.
Yazidis are one of the oldest ethnic and religious communities indigenous to the middle east. The yazidis syncretic religion has a rich oral tradition mixing islamic mysticism with the. Oct 29, 2016 the yazidis own selfunderstanding holds that theirs is humanitys original and oldest religion. The religion of the yazidis, yazidism, is a kind of yazdanism and has many influences. Even though they are ethnically kurdish, yazidis are a. The masxafe resh black book discusses the creation of humanity, how the. The true core texts of the yazidi religion that exist today are the hymns, known as qawls. Yazidi, iraqs persecuted minority, religious beliefs. Their cosmogonies apparently have many points in common with those of ancient. However there are kurds who follow shia islam as well as kurds who are alevi, christian, jewish, kakai, shabak, yezidi, and zoroastrian. But many scholars now believe the manuscripts published a century ago were forgeries. Sometimes, only extremely superficial practices remained.
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