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History/Founder/important
persons/saints:
Yezidis
are a Kurdish sect, named after their supposed founder Yezid, the Umayyad
Caliph. The Yezidi revere the Prophet Mohammed and the Sufi mystic Adi
Musafir, a descendent of the Umayyad Caliphs (Kalifs). Adi is credited
with writing many of the Yezidi Holy texts and is most likely to be the
originator of the faith. Islamic writings mention the religion as early
as the fourteenth century, but some scholars link them to Mithraism, Zoroastrianism,
and even ancient Iraqi Buzzard worshippers.
Current leader/governing
body: Rulership
is hereditary, and comes through the seven "priestly" lineages,
hereditary Kurdish rulers.
Number
of Adherents: About sixty-thousand in Iraq and Syria, 200,000 total worldwide.
Clergy:
Yezidi clegy are patterned after the Islamic Hierarchy
of Sheiks and Mullas. Pirs (priests) and Kawals (traveling preachers),
kocheks, (ecstatics and soothsayers), and Murids (laymen who give financial
support).
Requirements to join:
Yezidis are
not reluctant to proselytize, and have converted many Christians and
Muslims over the years. In recent times, Arabic governments have made
concerted efforts to ostracize the Yezidis, and their numbers are dwindling.
Scripture: There is no specific Yezidi Holy text, but important information about
Yezidi practices is contained in the Mes'haf i Resh, or "black book"
attributed to Adi's son, and the Jelwa, or "book of revelation,"
a brief homily attributed to Adi.
Holidays:
The most important Feast day is that of Jam, when
the various Yezidi groups converge on Lalish, the burial place of Adi.
During
the Jam, the Peacock icon, representing Malek Taus, is presented to the
worshippers during a seven day celebration. It coincides with an ancient
Zoroastrian feast day, one of many coincidences that lead some scholars
to make a connection between the two religions.
Basic
teachings and Beliefs: Yezidi
beliefs are a complicated mixture of Islam with Gnostic, Jewish, and Shamanistic
elements. Worship centers around Angels (Yezidi is from the Arabic word
for 'angel'), the most important of which is named Melek Taus, or the
"Peacock Angel," also known as Lucifer. Lucifer plays a different
role in Yezidism, where he is considered the chief Archangel, and the
creator of the material world. In Yezidi belief, Lucifer is not a fallen
angel, or the enemy of God. In Yezidi cosmology, the universal Spirit
(the Supreme deity) created a pearl, which became broken after forty thousand
years. Melek, or Lucifer, used the remains of the pearl to create the
material world. After this creation, the Spirit created the remaining
Angels. Yezidi theology claims that Lucifer was forgiven for his transgressions,
and those who revere him are the spiritual elect of humanity. They are
forbidden from referring to him as Satan.
The Yezidi believe that
time is divided into six Epochs, and each Epoch has an Avatar, or Archangel.
During the first Epoch, the material world and humankind were created.
The Yezidi story of the creation of man follows the Judeo-Christian
Adam and Eve, except that Satan is portrayed as a wise teacher rather
than a temptor.
Symbols: The prevailing symbol is the Peacock, in particular the bronze icons
central to Yezidi worship. For more information on this and dozens
of other religious symbols, please visit our symbol
glossary.
Myths and misconceptions:
The Yezidi have
long been accused of "Devil worship" due to misunderstandings
of their religious doctrine.
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