1 Yazidi Women as Odalisques Yazidi Women’s Living Conditions under the Rulings from Islamic States Written by: Asst. prof. Dr. Sarwar Abdulrahman Omer The Researchers assistant team: Baban Jafar Hama Arez Dara Hafid Hunar Ahmad Husen Sakar Aziz Rashed Muhamad Karem Ahmad Note:This research submitted to a Kurdology conference held in JAGIELLONIA University in Krakow, Poland between 24-26/10/2016. Published by the PAY Institute for Education and Development 2016 2 Preface The Yazidis are originally Kurdish and are the inseparable part from the Kurdish people. Their history is Kurdish history and their religion is the ancient Kurdish religion. Despite all the pressures, they haven‟t given up their religion, customs or traditions. They have been tyrannized, abused, and wronged by conquerors. Their land has been invaded and they have been harassed and persecuted throughout the history. They have been maltreated and oppressed before the emergence of Isalm up to the coming of the Arab Islamic Armies by the Ottoman Sultans and Persian Caliphs, and then by the contemporary successive states and regimes in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran,. Nevertheless, they are sometimes attacked by the Kurdish rulers and princes in the name of religion. Every now and then this history repeats itself. The decision for their extermination has been made 74 times. Their history is a constant tragedy, but in spite of tens of advisory opinions and homicides against them, still like the big rocks in the Mount Sinjar; they have stood against the adversities and the tragedies of the day and they have preserved their identity, culture, and religion. And the last decision or fatwa against them was the one that was declared by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and were attacked in August 2014. Women have their share in this bloody history as well, and they have been tyrannized, insulted, killed, captivated, sold, traded, and raped. Depending on the historical resources and documents, this study enlightens the life of the women and explains their resistance, survival and suffering under the process of genocide that is committed by their enemies. But they always defied, resisted and reversed their status and position. Although women in the first place have been brutally attacked and offended by the enemies in Yazidi community, but still they can be perceived as a symbol of resistance, and strength against the enemies. For this fact to be proven, many magnificent examples are going to be seen and read in the following sections. 3 A summary about The Yazidis The Yazidis are an ancient religious group in the Middle East, who are monotheists(1). They believe in God and the Malik Taws which means (The King Peacock) who is the most sacred and heavenly angel. Mas-haf Rash and Jilwa are their holy books. They have their own fasting, praying, and worshipping. Due to the geographical location of their inhabitation; they have been influenced by the Arabic, Assyrian, and Syriac cultures. The men‟s costumes are quite similar to the Arabic men, while the women‟s dresses are quite similar to the Assyrian‟s. Th Yazidis speak Kurdish, the Kurmanji dialect and Arabic as well, especially the Yazidis in Bashiqa and the Yazidis near Mosul. But their prayer rituals and the arrangement of their religious monologues and religious books are all in Kurdish. The most sacred place to them is the shrine of Lalish, which is the place that most of the Yazidis are adhered to, and they regard the temple of Lalish as the sacred place of the Yazidis all over the world(2). Since, Yazidism is not a missionary religion, so the religion does not consent to let others to become Yazidis and enter to their religion. Getting married to other religions and other sects is a big sin, and this means that all the Yazidis should be born Yazidi (3). Regarding their ethnicity, most of the contemporary European historians and travelers think that they are Kurdish(4) and they are the original inhabitants of the area and Kurdistan, and they lived on that land a long time ago(5). Now, it is one of the most common religions in the Region of Kurdistan and it is regarded as the second religion after Islam in the region. Now, the Yazidis spread out in the Middle East, but their main and most important place is the South of Kurdistan. The Yazidis inhabit cities, towns amd areas of Sinjar, Sheikhan, Zummar, Ba‟ade, Alqosh, Bashiqa, Khanke, Semel and Bahzani. The Yazidis make up % 90 of the population in the places which are mentioned above(6). There are different ideas and estimations regarding the numberings. According to the resources and calculations, the Yazidis are estimated to 650,000-700.000 people now, which is %12 of the Kurdistan Region population(7). In Western Kurdistan, the Yazidis inhabit in the cities of Halab, Hasaka, and some areas of Qamishlo, Antab, Saroj, Beerjil, Afrin, Al Rash, Otilja, Tel Khatun, and Dirik. In Al Jazeera, they inhabit on the San‟at Mountain, Amuda, Arsh Kibar, Bassouta, and some other areas. Their number is about 20,000 people(8). (1) Anastas M. Karmali, The Yazidis Holy Book, trans. Dr. Najati Abdulla (Sulaimani:Zhin Publishing, 2006), P.11. (2) Taha Sleman, Genocide of the Yazidis (Erbil: 2014) P.8. (3) Muhammad A. Zaki, A Brief History of Kurds and Kurdistan (Sulaimani: Zhin Publishing, 2006), P.212. (4) Sharafnama, trans. Muhammad J. Al- Rozhbayany(Erbil: 2001), P. 514; Sadeeq Al- Damluji, The Kurdish Bahdinan Emirate or Al-„Emadyya Emirate (Mosul: 1992), P.36; Ahmad Fawzi, Qasim and the Kurds Swords and Mountains, (Cairo: 1961), P.31-41; Mahmood Al-Durra, The Kurdish Case ( Beirut: 1966), P.181; Ameen Sami Al-Ghamrawi: The Kurd Story in the North of Iraq (Cairo: 1967), P.53; Abdulrazzaq Al-Husni, Iraq Ancient and Modern (Sayda: 1958), P.47; Dr. Shakir Khasbak, Northern Iraq A Study of Natural and Humanitarian Aspects ( Baghdad: 1973), P.181; Taha Hashimi, A Detail of Iraq Geography (Baghdad: Dar- Al‟salam Publishing,1930) P.31,; Hana Batatu; Iraq, The First Book, trans. Afeef Al- Razaz ( Baghdad: 2005), P.60; Basil Nikitine, The Kurds (Beirut: Dar- Alrawa‟e‟, 1958), P.221-231. ; Abd- Alrazaq M. Al-qaysi, The State of Mosul The League of Nations‟ Special Report to Solve the Turkish- British Dispute Over The State Mosul 1924-1925, P.134. (5) Anastas M. Karmali, op.cit, P.11. (6) Dr. Jaza Tofiq Talib,The Geopolitic Importance of Kurdistan Region Population of Iraq ( Suliemani, 1999), P.166-167; Anas M. Shareef Al-Doski, following Al-Sheikh Udei Bin Musafir Al-Hakary ( Al-Asala and Al- Turath Library: Al-Shariqa, 2010), P.515-516. ; Dr. Abdulla Ghafur, Southern Kurdistan Ethno- (2000), P.51. (7) Khery Shangali, A Letter to Kurdistan Parliament (Al-Watan), No.2, Junury 2007, P.5. (8) Peer Kh. Sleman, “Yazidis and The Kurdish Culture”, Lalish Magazine, No.14 (2000) ,P.6-16; Khana O. Khali, Ezdiaty, Jivak, Sambol, Reitool and Meit,trans.Ergeen Opangeen, changing from the Latin letters by Govan Khanki,( Erbil, 2011), P.30., Anas M. Shareef Al-Doski, op.cit, P.516-517. 4 In Northern Kurdistan, they inhabit Wan, Abideen, Erzurum, Urfa, Batman, Tur Abdin, Nusaybin, Weranshar, Mardin, Hasankeyf, Suruc, Diyarbakir, Jazeera, Miafarqeen, Besiri, Rcwan, Siirt, Sason, and Kars. They are around 40,000 people(1). In Eastern Kurdistan they inhabit Western Azerbaijan as well, especially in Mako and Khoi and they are around 60,000 people(2). The Yazidis also dwell in the former Soviet Union particularly in Armenia, and Gorgia(3). In 1991 the estimations regarded the number of the Yazidiz of Armenia was around 70,000 people(4). They also dwell in the cities of Tbilisi, Batumi, Rustavi, Telavi and Telafi in Georgia(5). In Armenia, they live in the city and towns of Abovian, Aparan, Aragats, Ararat, Artashat, Ashtarak, Vedi, Masis, Nairi, Oktemberian, Talin, and Echmiadzin. Their number is estimated around 90,000 people, in which they have thirty one villages of their own(6). Edo BabaSheikh states that “40,000-50,000 Yazidis dwell in Armenia and Georgia”(7), and in Russia, the Yazidis are estimated to be around 70,000 -80,000 people that are spread throughout most of the cities(8). Due to the long tyranny, oppression, and injustice that they suffered, most of them obliged to migrate to foreign countries forcefully. The greatest numbers of the Yazidis in Germany are nearly around 70,000- 80,000 people. Edo Babasheikh believes that “the Yazidis in Germany are about sixty thousand to 50-000 people(9). But according to Dr. Andres Akerman, the number is much higher, which he estimated about 200,000 to 300 thousand people(10). Beside the fact that there is a huge number of Yazidiz in America, France, Australia, and Austria(11). It is difficult to estimate Yazidis‟ exact population since a census of Yazidi population has not been conducted yet. But according to the available information and the way the population has steadily increased in the area, such numbers are likely. In general, the number of the Yazidis can be estimated around 2.500.000 people(12). Most of the resources refer to the fact that the Yazidis have been continuously wiped off, and massacred throughout the history, and different fatwas against their religion or about converting their religion have been declared(13). (1) Khana O. Khali, op.cit, P.30., Peer Kh. Sleman, op.cit, P.6-16; Anas M. Shareef Al- Doski, op.cit, P.517. (2) Peerash, “an interview”, Lalish Magazine, No. 5, p.117, Khana Omar Khali op.cit, P.30 (3) Peer Khidr Sleman, op.cit, P.6-16 (4) Khana O.