(Y) As terrible as all of this is, the worst of the persecution has been aimed at the Yezidi, an ancient religious group that lives among the Kurds. They number less than a half-million, and two-thirds of them live around Mosul in northern Iraq. The rest are scattered across neighbouring countries like SYRIA, ARMENIA, and TURKEY. More recent immigrant communities are to be found in GERMANY and the UNITED STATES. Although influenced over the centuries by CHRISTIANITY and ISLAM, the Yezidi religion has ANCIENT PAGAN ROOTS that go back at least to the late Bronze Age. Interestingly, their beliefs have many similarities with HINDUISM — for example, they believe in reincarnation, say their prayers facing the sun at sunrise and sunset, and even have a system of castes. They also worship Tawûsê-Melek, the PEACOCK angel — a bird that is found in the Indian sub-continent but not in Yezidi lands.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 19:21:50 +0000
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