An Ezidi parliamentary delegation met with Chaldean Patriarch Mar Paulos III Nona in Baghdad to discuss cooperation, coexistence and the shared challenges faced by Ezidis and Christians in Iraq.
A French heritage report commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron has mentioned Ezidis among endangered peoples whose cultural heritage should be included in wider protection efforts in the Middle East.
Nathaniel Brunt, a University of Victoria postdoctoral fellow and documentary photographer, is expanding the SERSAL Project through a Hannah Arendt Fellowship in Germany. The project focuses on digitally preserving the photographic and cultural heritage of Ezidis after genocide.
Ezidi representatives, associations and civil society organisations have called for a full cultural, social and environmental review of planned solar power plant projects near Ezidi villages in Beşiri and Midyat. They warn that the projects could affect return efforts, agricultural land, pastures, cemeteries and cultural memory if implemented without proper consultation.
Courts in Australia and the Netherlands are handling separate cases involving women linked to ISIS. In Melbourne, Zeinab Ahmad is seeking bail while facing slavery-related charges connected to the alleged enslavement of an Ezidi teenager in Raqqa. In The Hague, a Dutch woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for allowing her minor son to be recruited as an ISIS child-soldier.
A public petition before the Bremen state parliament, submitted by Ezidi genocide survivor Sidan Khudeda, calls for a memorial to the genocide committed against the Ezidi people on 3 August 2014. The proposed monument would honour victims, make survivors visible and create a permanent place of remembrance.
Reports and a post by MP Murad Ismael indicate that new waves of displaced Ezidi families are returning to Shengal after more than a decade in camps. However, sources give different figures, and many families still face serious obstacles, lack of housing, weak services, documentation problems, and security concerns.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has warned political forces against discriminatory rhetoric, specifically condemning the use of “Ezidi” as an insult in public and political discourse.
As Armenia’s election campaign reaches Ezidi-populated areas, however, political visits should be welcomed but judged critically. Ezidi citizens must measure every promise against real records, concrete action and long-term commitment to Ezidi rights.
The return of ISIS-linked women and children to Australia has caused fear and distress among Ezidi survivors of the 2014 genocide, raising renewed questions about justice, accountability and survivor protection.
A Moscow round table on cooperation with the People’s Republic of China also included discussion of people’s diplomacy, cultural relations and the ancient history and self-determination struggle of the Ezidi people.
Discover the history, religion, language, and identity of the Ezidis, one of the ancient ethnic peoples of the Middle East. Learn about Sharfadin, Ezdiki, the historical homeland of Ezidis, and the origins of Ezidi populations across Iraq, Syria, the Caucasus, and Europe.
A published interview about Hawar, Our Banished Children describes Ezidis as “a minority within a minority,” reducing an ancient ethno-religious people to a subgroup of another identity. This wording is not harmless. It erases Ezidi identity, insults peoples who actually live as minorities, and distorts the very genocide the film claims to address.
Shaheen Khalaf, the Ezidi journalist from Iraq who gave his life while trying to save a Muslim child from ISIS sniper fire. His sacrifice remains one of the strongest symbols of Ezidi humanity after the genocide.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Ezidi human rights activist Nadia Murad has received France’s Legion of Honour from President Emmanuel Macron, dedicating the recognition to survivors and to women and girls who continue to speak out.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated the Ezidi people of Armenia on the occasion of the Ezidi New Year, reaffirming support for the protection of Ezidi language, culture, and identity. He also attended the celebrations in Aknalich, where Ezidi and Armenian dance groups performed at the temple.
The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Bern extended its congratulations to Ezidis in Switzerland on the occasion of the Ezidi New Year, wishing them health, happiness, peace, stability, and prosperity.
President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid has renewed calls to protect the rights of the Ezidi people, deliver justice for victims, and complete the return of displaced families, as Iraqi officials face continued pressure to address reconstruction and long-standing insecurity affecting Ezidis in Iraq.
Why are Ezidis still introduced through the false label of “devil worship”? Why are they wrongly presented as part of a Kurdish identity, despite a long history that shows otherwise? And why is the term “Yezidism” used when it does not exist within the religion itself? This article addresses these questions and challenges the narratives that continue to misrepresent the Ezidi people and their religion, Sharfadin.
Klocha Sare Sale is a traditional Ezidi New Year cake celebrated mainly among Ezidis from the former Soviet Union. Marking renewal and the arrival of spring, the ritual involves baking a special cake with a hidden bead or coin. During a family gathering, the cake is cut with a symbolic “plough” line and divided—first as offerings to holy beings, then among family members. The person who receives the hidden piece is believed to be blessed for the coming year. Rooted in Sharfadin, the tradition reflects both spiritual meaning and the natural cycle of rebirth.
