While I have been stressing the fact that the Yezidi are not Hindus, and that attempts to forge them into the Hindu identity is a deception, I am not without compassion for the Yezidi on humanitarian grounds. I only seek to end the abuse of both of our communities by trying to equate our religions which are simply not the same. Below is a preliminary list of suggestions I would like to make before the Hindu community, alternatives to branding the Yezidi as Hindus and/or importing them into India. Of course, I also suggest that aid and support be sent to Pakistani and Bengali Hindus fist or simultaneously.
SOME PRELIMINARY SUGGESTIONS
1. Arm and resource the Yezidi in their own districts in Iraq (without identifying them as Hindus).
2. Push politically and militarily (use of armed Yezidi) for an independent Yezidi nation.
3. Build alliances between Hindus and Yezidi as two independent peoples, keeping in mind our mutually exclusive interests.
4. If migration is necessary, Yezidi should be emigrated to nations where they already have sizable populations [Germany (40,000), the United States and Canada] [1]
5. The Yezidi claim the Christians as there allies and they share more theology than Yezidis share with Hindus [2] Since both Christians and Yezidi are under attack in Iraq, a joint effort to save both communities should be presented before Christian organizations as well as Hindus so as to maximize the aid they receive and also make apparent the Yezidis' strong Abrahamic ties, which is only right and honest for Hindus to be aware of.
6. Theological, historical, cultural and family linkages between Yezidis and Jews should be investigated to open up dialogue on Yezidi-Jewish partnership. Immigration of the Yezidi to Israel should be suggested.
FOOTNOTES:
[1]
Yezidi Communities in Germany- There are currently 35,000- 40,000 Yezidis living in Germany. They began arriving in Germany from Iraq, Iran Turkey, Armenia, and Syria in the 1960s. They are currently located principally in the German cities of Celle, Oldenburg and Bielefeld
Yezidi Communities in the United States and Canada- Yezidis began arriving in the United States in the 1990s and currently have small settlements principally in the Mid-West and the East. Their largest settlement is currently in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska.There are small communities in London, Ontario and Saskatchewan as well.
[2]
Christianity and Yezidism
Christians and Yezidis have been friends for centuries. During the Turkish-Armenian war the Yezidis saved many Christians who fled the Turkish Moslems and took them into their own homes to hide them from certain death. Some Yezidis even purchased the freedom and safety of Christians from the Turks for a certain number of gold pieces. Their generosity and compassion was later returned by the Christians when, during a period of persecution beginning with the reign of Sadam Hussien, Christian organizations helped the Yezidis flee to Europe and America and became settled in new communities in those foreign lands.
The peacock has always been a popular and fortunate symbol among Christians. During the early days of Christianity it was used interchangeably with the symbol of the phoenix, both of which were the symbols of resurrection and the arisen Christ. To Christians, the peacock’s “eyes” were also symbols of omniscience and represented the all-seeing God. The Catholic Church made the peacock its first official symbol, claiming that the eyes on the peacock’s feathers denoted the “all-seeing church.” Later, during the Middle Ages, many of the greatest European painters portrayed Jesus in the midst of peacocks and also attached peacock feathers to their depictions of the heavenly angels.
The Yezidis recognize Jesus to be one of the great prophets sent to Earth by Tawsi Melek. Today, they even repeat his name in some of their prayers. Yezidis also claim that one of their own, a woodcutter named Yosef Nagar, lived in Jerusalem when Jesus was a boy and taught the future prophet certain healing practices and the art of herbalism.
Within the canon of Yezidi legends one can find stories about how Tawsi Melek was a guide and helper to Jesus. In this regard, it is believed by the Yezidi that God sent Tawsi Melek to move the stone that blocked Jesus’ tomb and was the angel that stayed nearby after it was opened.
Sheike Adi was also a lover of Jesus. One of Adi’s important influences was the Sufi al-Hasan al-Basri who proclaimed “There is no mahdi but ‘Isa (Jesus)”.
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