Yazidis

The Yazidis (also Yezidis, Êzidî; ⁱ/jəˈziːdiːz/ yə-ZEE-dees) are an ethno-religious groupindigenous to northern Mesopotamia whose strictly endogamous, and ancient religion Yazidism (or Sharfadin) is not linked to Zoroastrianism but linked to ancient Mesopotamian religions; however Yazidis form a distinct and independent religious community and have their own culture. Yazidis' religion bans marriage to non-Yazidis, however not all Yazidi people adhere this ban. They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of Iraq. Additional communities in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Syria have been in decline since the 1990s as a result of significant migration to Europe, especially to Germany.

The Yazidis are monotheists, believing in God as creator of the world, which he has placed under the care of seven holy beings or angels, the chief of whom is Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel. The Peacock Angel, as world-ruler, causes both good and bad to befall individuals, and this ambivalent character is reflected in myths of his own temporary fall from God's favour, before his remorseful tears extinguished the fires of his hellish prison and he was reconciled with God.

Melek Taus

Melek Taus (Kurdish: Tawûsê Melek‎), also spelled Malik Tous, translated in English as Peacock Angel, is one of the central figures of Yazidi religion. In Yazidi creation stories, God created the world and entrusted it to the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sirr ('the Seven Mysteries'), preeminent of which is Tawûsê Melek, the Peacock Angel.

Like many aspects of the secretive Yazidi religion, Tawûsê Melek is subject to varied and ambiguous interpretations. The Yazidi Book of Revelation (Ketêbâ Jelwa), an early twentieth-century text written by non-Yazidis but based on Yazidi oral tradition, is purported to contain the words of Tawûsê Melek; it states that he allocates responsibilities, blessings and misfortunes upon humanity as he sees fit and that it is not for the race of Adam to question his choices.

Since the late 16th century, Muslims have accused Yazidis of devil worship due to the similarity between the Quranic story of Shaitan and the account of Tawûsê Melek's refusal to bow to Adam. Whereas Muslims revile Shaitan for refusing to submit to God and bow to Adam, believing that his defiance caused him to fall from God's grace, Yazidis revere Tawûsê Melek for his independence. Accusations of devil worship fueled centuries of violent persecution, which have led Yazidi communities to concentrate in remote mountainous regions of northwestern Iraq. The Yazidi taboo against the Arabic word Shaitan (الشیطان) and on words containing the consonants š (sh) and t/ṭ have been used to suggest a connection between this Tawûsê Melek and Shaitan, although no evidence exists to suggest Yazidis worship Tawûsê Melek as the same figure.

Islamic state (disambiguation)

Islamic state is a type of government based on Islamic religious law (sharia).

Islamic state may also refer to: