At Lincoln South Rotary Club on August 20, 2021, we heard from Hadi Pir about Yazidi Cultural Center of Lincoln after learning a bit about Yazidis.
Recommended reading:
The New Yorker
"The Daring Plan to Save a Religious Minority from ISIS"
When the terrorist group attacked the Yazidis, a small group of American immigrants knew they could do something.
The New Yorker
"The Daring Plan to Save a Religious Minority from ISIS"
When the terrorist group attacked the Yazidis, a small group of American immigrants knew they could do something.
Yazidism is one of the ancient Middle East religions. There are many common elements between Yazidism and Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, and ancient Mesopotamian religions such as Sumerian and Babylonian religions.
Most Yazidis speak Kurmanji (one of the three Kurdish Dialects) some speak Arabic (Lebanese dialect).
They are found primarily in northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, the Caucasus region, and parts of Iran. However many have moved to other parts of the world inculding Western Europe and North America. There are 3,000 in Lincoln, the largest population in the United States.
Yazidis celebrate the new year - the start of a new Year - on the second Wednesday of April.
Thy Sacrifice a bull and hold a banquet every year in Lalish (a mountain valley in Iraq) just as god of light or also so called Sun God Mithra depicted doing it; and as it’s also mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh 4,000 years ago.
Hadi explained that The Three Day Fast of December is one all Yezidis are expected to observe.Fasting occurs from dawn until sunset, and the nights are given to feasting, merry making and some prayer. He explained, because they worship the light of the sun the celebration takes place on the three shortest days of sunlight. The return of the sun - the extended daylight hours - is what they are praying for.
Their beliefs include Kiras Guhorin (changing of garments) or reincarnation. " The soul is imperishable, is not destroyed and changes body after death until one realizes the truth to progress, to wholeness and immortality." They believe that a life spent well will be rewarded in the afterlife.
They choose a brother or sister for their afterlife. Each Yezidi during his life undergoes a ritual wherein they become bonded spiritually to a brother and sister of their faith from a family different from the one they are born into.
Hadi shared pictures of Folk Costumes and musical instruments, indicating that often use music as a way of healing.
We saw a timeline showing the History of Yazidi Genocides.
- Ottoman Governor of Mosul,Muhammad Pasha al Jalili (1805-1820) included the burning of 8 Yazidi villages in Sinjar and the killing of 100s of men.
- The Kurdish Emir Muhammad Pasha al-Rawanduzi (1832) - massacre of 10,000 - 15,000; kidnapping of thousands of women and children; forced conversion to Islam
- The Ottoman General Hafiz Pasha (1844) left nearly three quarters of the Yazidis dead; temples were destroyed; abduction of thousands of Yazidi women
- The Ottoman General Ömer wehbi Pasha (1891) - leaders of the Yazidi communities were forced to join the Ottoman army
- The Iraqi Army Forces Attack - (1935) - conquest of the Sinjar region; execution of hundreds of Yazidi leaders; total destruction of Yazidi villages
- The Arabization Campaign by Saddam Hussien (1975) caused forced residency in compound villages; 163 Yazidi village lands confiscated, total destruction of Yazidi farms and productive lands
- Shiekhan Attack (2/15/2007) - burning of Yazidi holy sites in Shiekhan; looting and burning Yazidi properties
- Al-Qaida Car Bomb Attack (8/14/2007) - about 350 Yazidis were killed and about 3000 wounded; destruction of the two villages
- IS Attack (Aug 3rd 2014)
- - 5000 to 7000 Yazidi killed
- - More than 5000 Yazidi kidnapped
- - Destruction of more than 20 Yazidi holy sites in Sinjar
- - Destruction of more than 80% of Yazidi homes in Sinjar
- - More than 400,000 Yazidi were displaced
Lincoln's Yazidi Cultural Center is a place for all Yazidi immigrants and refugees from Iraq who want assistance with adjusting to life in Lincoln. It provides relief for those in need of financial assistance, adjusting to the cultural landscape of the United States, learning English and immigration relief.
The Yazidi community still deals with having family over in Iraq who are still in danger after mass killings and a genocide in Iraq. Isis killed many men and forced women and children into slavery, including sex slavery. 70% Yazidis are still in refugee camps.
Before his presentation, Hadi Pir was introduced by Marvin Almy a member of the Advisory Board at the Yazidi Cultural Center.
Hadi Pir worked with the USA army in Iraq as an Interpreter and Cultural advisor. He immigrated to the United States in 2010 and graduated from UNL. He is currently in a doctorate program in Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education.
Hadi urged the President to help rescue the Yazidis who did not escape ISIS in 2014. An article "Remembering the Yazidis under siege" in the The Washington Times urged the US to continue to work toward freeing the thousands of Yazidis still held at the hands of ISIS.
"The Daring Plan to Save a Religious Minority from ISIS" was written in The New Yorker with the tag line "When the terrorist group attacked the Yazidis, a small group of American immigrants knew they could do something." This is an amazing account of the actions of a few Yazidis in the United States helping save those under siege in Iraq. They helped design a complex unconventional communication system. You can feel the emotions of the fears and triuimphs as they went through days of meetings and planning.
BIOS
Hadi Pir is a co-founder and vice president of Yazda organization, previously he worked with the USA army in Iraq as an Interpreter and Cultural advisor, after he came to the USA he worked as a teacher in Lincoln Public School. Hadi holds a Bachelor's degree in Arts, English as a second language from the University of Mosul in Iraq and a Master of Arts in education from UNL. Currently, Hadi is a Ph.D. student at the University of Nebraska. https://cehs.unl.edu/tlte/hadi-pir/
Saad Murad is as human rights activist with special interest on minority rights, Saad lost his young brother and two cousins in 2014 ISIS genocidal attacks on Yazidi in Sinjar, Iraq. also, he was trapped by ISIS for 20 days over the mount Sinjar before he manages to survive. Saad has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Duhok, Iraq. After graduating he worked as a journalist with many local news agencies, Saad is fluent in English, Arabic, and Kurdish (Kurmanji) with 4 years’ experience of translation and interpretation, Saad worked as human rights manager for Yazda Organization. Saad also worked as an Administrative and Media manager for 2018 Nobel Peace Laureate Nadia Murad (Nadia’s Initiative).