Most of Iraq’s myriad ethnic and religious communities have wrestled with questions of identity in the tumultuous year that has followed the fall of Saddam. But for members of the Yazidis – a pre-Islamic faith professed by a minority of Kurds – the stakes may be higher than for most. For the Yazidis, the choice between identifying themselves with the Kurds or seeking special status, is a particularly urgent one.
Aqil Jabbar and Wisam al-Jaff are Iraqi journalists.
© 2004 IWPR – This article was first published on 15 April 2004 (ICR No. 59) by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), London. Posted on Religioscope with permission. Articles published by the IWPR on Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iraq as well as other topics can be accessed on its website: www.iwpr.net