Nara’s campaign for the protection of Ezidis has reached the Dutch parliament, backed by a petition carrying more than 6,000 signatures. The Ezidi woman, who lives at the asylum seekers’ centre in Heerlen, is urging the Dutch government to recognise the risks Ezidis face in Iraq and provide protection that reflects those dangers.
The petition was presented to the House of Representatives’ Committee for Asylum and Migration in The Hague on 22 September 2026. Heerlen Mondiaal, which helped organise the campaign and prepare the petition, confirmed that its committee had completed the presentation.
The appeal asks the government to reassess its approach to Ezidi asylum claims, taking account of continuing insecurity, displacement and the consequences of the Ezidi Genocide of 2014. The petition argues that recognition of the genocide must be accompanied by protection for people who remain at risk. It also challenges the idea that displacement camps provide a safe and sustainable alternative to returning to their original homes.
For Nara, the campaign combines a public demand for protection with the uncertainty of her own future in the Netherlands. She has been active on behalf of her people for more than six months while also preparing to continue her education. She hopes to study law and use that knowledge to improve the lives of her family and other Ezidis.
Before taking the appeal to The Hague, Nara addressed a municipal committee in Heerlen. According to De Limburger’s report of 21 September, she sought a statement of support on behalf of the 250 Ezidis in the city. Her request was for local solidarity, rather than for the municipality to overturn decisions made by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, known as the IND.
Her account of the genocide and the insecurity facing Ezidis prompted supportive reactions from several participants. Rolf Rozestraten of the local OPH party said her story had left him speechless and made the rest of the meeting’s agenda seem less significant. Mayor Roel Wever expressed his respect and similarly questioned the importance of the remaining agenda in light of what she had described.
CDA committee member Fadhel Al Hassouni took a different position. The Iraq-born representative questioned whether Nara held a residence permit and argued that the issue belonged with the IND.
“We are here to support the citizens of the municipality of Heerlen. Does she have a residence permit?” he said, according to the report. “The Ezidi issue is well known, but this is not a matter for Heerlen. This is a matter for the IND.”
Nara expressed disappointment at his response. She linked the exchange to the wider difficulty Ezidis face in having their concerns about safety heard and understood. “And here, too, we constantly have to defend ourselves,” she said. The criticism did not stop her from continuing the campaign.
Recent court decisions have given her renewed hope. In cases concerning Ezidi asylum applicants, the District Court of The Hague has criticised the adequacy of the IND’s reasoning, including its assessment of information about conditions in Iraq and the risks applicants would face on return. Heerlen Mondiaal has reported that the IND lodged an appeal with the Council of State. The campaigners regard the judgments as grounds for renewed scrutiny of how Ezidi protection claims are assessed.
Nara also hopes that Bart van den Brink, the CDA minister responsible for asylum and migration, will give greater attention to the circumstances of the Ezidi people. The petition places that request before national decision-makers, calling for the risks in Iraq to be recognised in the protection offered in the Netherlands.
“We have been persecuted in Iraq for centuries,” Nara said ahead of the presentation.
Alongside her advocacy, she has begun a pre-bachelor programme at Fontys and hopes to progress to a higher professional education degree next year. Her ambition is to study law. Campaigning takes considerable time, she acknowledged, but her educational plans and her work for Ezidis share the same purpose.
“My motivation is clear: I want to improve the lives of my family and my people.”
