This book focusses mainly on the culture and history of Yezidis. Since the fall of 2014, the atrocities of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) committed in Iraq and Syria came into light, the world learned that thousands of innocent Yezidis were slaughtered. Their plight and sufferings are too gruesome to describe. Since then there has been a surge of interest in understanding the culture and traditions of Yezidi people. This book gives a comprehensive introduction to Yezidi society, and examines Yezidism not only as a religion but also as a social and historical phenomenon.
A brief summary of this book is as follows: Yezidism did not have liturgical or historical writing before 12th century, but the contemporary religious practices and hymns orally transmitted over generations hint at various layers of development. Modern Yezidis are mainly of Kurdish origin whose ancestors practiced a proto Indo-Iranian religion. Yezidis pray God through the banners of the Peacock Angel and consider celestial gods like sun, fire, water and earth as sacred. They generally pray in the direction of sun, and perform fire sacrifices. Fire is an important part of many ceremonial rituals, and Yezidis are strong believers in reincarnation. They also have a caste system and observe the rite of baptism. All these practices are traced to a proto Indo-Iranian practices that is clearly documented in the Rig Veda and ancient Sanskrit literature of Hinduism. For example, the hymns of Rig-Veda of Hinduism were orally transmitted for 3,000 years in Brahmanical system.
The Islamic practices were introduced to Yezidis much later in 12 century by Sufi Sheikh Adi. After his death in 1162, the Yezidi successors blended his doctrine with Islamic beliefs, which became the modern Yezidi doctrine as we know today. The ancient form of Yezidism that had roots in the proto-Indo-Iranian religion had significant influence on the masses up to 12 century but started to grow under the strong influence of Islam, but their power started to decline by 15 century when Muslims started to massacre Yezidis for their non-Islamic beliefs. Yezidi persecutions, massacres, deportations, and forced conversions over centuries have taken a toll on the Yezidi culture and religion. They suffered most during occupation by Ottoman Empire which forced Yezidi to convert to Islam, and from the 18th century many "fatwas" were declared against them. Discrimination based on Islamic laws was far and wide.
In modern Iraq, Lalish, located in Northern part of the country became the main pilgrimage center, and the traditions of qewwals and the sacred musicians kept the Yezidi religion alive. Since there were no written texts to educate the new generations, oral traditions were continued to educate the new generations. The Yezidi holy books, Mishefa Resh (the black book) and the Kiteb-i-Cilwe (the book of Revelation) came into existence from qewwals. Yezidis, unlike followers of other religions, did not have temples for the performance of liturgies, however, the mausoleums of saints and shrines fulfilled the function of a place of worship. It also did not require public prayer or worship but encouraged individual prayers. The caste system was rigorously practiced and the practice of endogamy also prevented unification among all Yezidis. Among Hindus and Yezidis, the tradition of endogamy is a part of the inner structure.
The Peacock Angel (Tawusi Melek) is the most important character in the Yezidi pantheon. He is the leader of the Yezidi Holy Trinity and dominates all divinities. In the Yezidi religion, the Peacock Angel is the mediator angel between God and Yezidi people who leads directly to God. He is God's alter ego; united with him results in a union that is whole and inseparable. He is the manifestation of the creator. That is why Yezidis pray to God through his banner in the form of a Peacock. Death for Yezidis means the separation of the soul from the body and the rebirth of the soul in another body. They believe in reincarnation and in heaven and hell. Yezidism believe in one eternal God called "Xwede" who is the creator of the universe
This idea of a Proto-Indo-Iranian religion was put forwarded by Rig-Vedic researchers when the evidence for a proto-Indo-Iranian language was found in Avesta (collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism) and Rig-Veda. It is also known that Sanskrit is one of the main off-shoots of the Indo-European language, which is the mother of all earthly languages. All Indo- Iranian mythologies involve gods (often called by similar names) associated with aspects of nature depending on a function (e.g. sky father, thunder god, sea god, god of wind, river goddess, pastoral god, etc.) Common cosmogonies are connected with primal sacrifice that allowed life to emerge on earth; battle with dragon and serpent, and victory of God over evil was deemed essential for the survival of humans on earth. Yezidis also believe that at the beginning of creation, God had created Seven Angels (Heft Sur) or Seven Mysteries; in Rig-Veda there are seven Adityas who have similar functions of keeping the divine order.
This book is timely and very illuminating. For those who would like to read and understand Yezidism, it is very gratifying. We get to know the plights of brave Yezidi people who continue to practice their religion and culture under the most brutal political environment.
Reference: Yezidis, the history of a community, culture and religion by Birgul Acikyildiz
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