On 3 August 2014, the Islamic State attacked the Shengal (Sinjar) region in northern Iraq with the aim of wiping out the Yazidi community, which had already been persecuted for centuries. Through systematic massacres, rape, torture, expulsion, enslavement of girls and women and the forced recruitment of boys as child soldiers, the Yazidis experienced what they call “Ferman” (genocidal decree), the 73rd genocide in their history. According to the UN, at least 10,000 people were killed, about half of them children. Even among the thousands who starved, died of thirst or died of their injuries while fleeing to the mountains, almost all of them were children (93 percent). ISIS forced boys as young as seven to work as child soldiers in its training camps. Girls were raped and sexually enslaved, and more than 400,000 people were driven from their homes.
The Academy of Social Science is organizing a two-day conference in the Yazidi town of Shengal in response to 73 fermans issued against the Yazidi community throughout history, including the genocidal campaign in 2014.
The ‘Shengal Enlightment Conference’ is held with great enthusiasm under the slogans “The Response to 73 Genocides” and “The Call for a Democratic Society is the Beginning of a Renaissance for the Yazidis.”
Numerous academics, activists, religious representatives, and journalists from the region, mainly from Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Maxmur, are attending the conference. Some participants will deliver their presentations online.
Other participants include representatives from the Shengal Democratic Autonomous Council, Yazidi Women’s Freedom Movement (TAJÊ), YBŞ-YJŞ (Shengal Resistance Units-Women’s Resistance Units), Êzîdxan Asayish (Yazidi Internal Security Forces), youth organizations, civil society and religious scholars.
A moment of silence in memory of the martyrs was followed by statements which dedicated the conference to Abdullah Öcalan and highlighted the need for the Yazidi community to build its own self-defense and administrative power.
The two-day conference will feature presentations and discussions on nine main topics, including the historical social existence of the Yazidis, their faith, the reality of women, ecology, the concept of homeland, and cultural genocide. Beginning with five presentations on the first day, the conference will also establish a direct link with the struggle for democratic autonomy in Shengal.
Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan sent a message to the conference, which reads as follows:
“First and foremost, I greet you on behalf of all our comrades here and wish you success in your work.
History does not only speak of the past; it also encompasses the pain, resistance, and truth that have been experienced alongside it. The Yazidi people are among the most honorable and ancient bearers of this truth. The Yazidis, one of the ancient faiths in Mesopotamia, have preserved their existence for thousands of years in spite of oppression, forced migration, and denial.
Yazidism is more than a belief and tradition. It is based on living in harmony with nature and viewing all living things as sacred. This is why oppressive systems have always viewed the Yazidis as a threat, because the Yazidis have carried the traces of an equal and free life into the present day.
When faced with great oppression, the Yazidis did not retreat; they sought refuge in the mountains of Kurdistan and clung to their belief in history and freedom. Their faith and language were attempted to be banned, but they held on to their culture and kept it alive. When faced with annihilation, they rose again from their ashes.
Yazidi women are the main pioneers of this struggle. Despite suffering the most severe attacks, they never gave in. With their resistance in Shengal, they rekindled the hope of a dignified life not only for themselves but for all peoples.
The struggle that the Yazidi people are waging today shows the way for all of us. Their voice is the voice of those who seek freedom. Therefore, protecting the Yazidis is equivalent to upholding the conscience of humanity on the basis of self-defense.
It is the most natural right of the Yazidis to establish their own system in order to live freely with their faith and identity. Neither oppressive states nor narrow-minded tribal ideologies recognize this right. This can only be achieved through a system based on brotherhood and equality among peoples, on which they can govern themselves.
Everyone needs to know this: the Yazidi people are not alone. Despite all the suffering they have endured under 73 fermans, they have survived to this day through resistance. With the Peace and Democratic Society process we have developed, they will no longer experience any fermans. The fermans are now over. Their presence in this region is a source of honor for everyone who desires peace and brotherhood.”
Öcalan’s message was received with great enthusiasm by the conference participants.
Source: ANF News
