Stop Redefining Us: Ezidi Identity Is Rooted in History, Not in Political Convenience

Ezidis are constantly being targeted by various political attacks that aim to destroy their unique ethnic identity. Ezidis do indeed follow one religion (Sharfadin), which is only their religion, meaning that Ezidis can also be identified through their religion. However, that does not mean and cannot be understood as if Ezidi is a religion. An Ezidi is identified through their ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity.

There are (unfortunately) many Ezidis who do not speak their mother tongue (Ezdiki), and they do not practiceSharfadin either. Does that mean that the person is not Ezidi anymore? And if the person is not Ezidi anymore, then what is the person? Is the person a Kurd? And if we presume that person is a Kurd, then what is his/her religion?

Through this, it becomes evident that Ezidi is not a religion; it is an ethnicity.

Having observed some recent events among the Ezidis, visible through social media platforms, we need to understand that one single individual does not and cannot have the authority to decide the ethnic identity of the Ezidis. It has happened that some politicians, who are involved in Kurdish parties, claim that they are “Ezidi and Kurdish.” It has also happened that the Ezidi Mir has claimed that “Ezidis are Kurds who follow Sharfadin.” Furthermore, it happens that a Kurdish journalist visits a very well-known, specific, and brainwashed village and asks a random Ezidi if he/she is a Kurd or not. Of course, that random Ezidi in that very well-known village is going to say what the journalist wants and expects to hear.

These events are enraging and disheartening. However, we Ezidis must collectively understand—and emphasize when in contact with non-Ezidis—that an entire ethnic group’s identity cannot be decided based on what a corrupt politician, a Mir, or a random villager claims. By that logic, Germans could change their ethnic belonging to British in one day if a high-ranking German politician decided so. Koreans could become Japanese in one day, Brits could become Irish in one day, and Iranians could become Arabs in one day. What’s the problem? If a politician decides so, then it’s possible?

Similarly, it is bizarre, uneducated, and a sign of very low IQ if people think they can decide the ethnic identity of a group based on political bias.

Dear “Ezidi” politicians who claim to represent all Ezidis: you are no one, and you have no right to speak on behalf of all Ezidis. If you have been elected as an MP in a political party in a specific state, then you are a representative of the people in that specific country. You cannot possibly think that you have the right to speak on behalf of all Ezidis. Ezidis live all over the world, and you do not represent all Ezidis. As if it is not enough that we have thousands of Kurdish politicians, journalists, and political terrorists who preach the artificially created fake “Kurdish race/ethnicity/identity,” we also have to deal with you and your damaging actions.

Message to all self-proclaimed “representatives” of the Ezidis: you do not have the right to speak on behalf of the people. If you do not agree with the fact that Ezidi is an ethnicity, speak on behalf of yourself, not the entire Ezidi people.

And a message to all Ezidis: when you see these self-proclaimed “representatives” of the Ezidis, remind them who they are—and that we do not accept them.