In a heartwarming video that quickly went viral on Twitter, a Yazidi woman, a survivor of the ISIS genocide, is seen entering the waiting area of an airport to meet with her relatives. Her brother, who eagerly waits in the front to welcome her, quickly bows down in front of her—a gesture symbolising deep respect in their culture. The young woman tries to raise him up, but her attempts are unsuccessful. Eventually, she joins him in a hug, and together, they both rise from the floor.
Yazidi women and girls have suffered unimaginable atrocities, including being held as hostages, sex slaves, forced into marriages, and made to bear children with their ISIS captors. They were often sold as slaves multiple times to different men and households, enduring unspeakable pain. Some even attempted to end their lives or risked everything to escape.
The Yazidis are an indigenous people of the Middle East with a unique religion and cultural sensitivities that are prevalent in the region. When the Kurdish-led forces liberated their homeland of Sinjar (Şengal) in November 2015, they rescued thousands of women and girls from ISIS, who had been subjected to rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriages under the rule of men with an alien religion. However, the fate of these survivors has been widely debated.
The Yazidi community, deeply rooted in the honour-shame culture of the Middle East, faced a significant challenge when their women and girls were taken as sex slaves by ISIS. In this culture, if a woman is raped, it brings shame upon the family, and they traditionally have a duty to kill her. However, the Yazidi community has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of this horrific situation.
A report from God Reports shares a story of a Yazidi man who had three daughters taken as slaves by ISIS. He was visited in a dream by Jesus, who told him: “You don’t need to kill your daughters or anyone. I paid for everyone, so go get your daughters.” The man had the same dream three times, once for each of his daughters. In the morning, he gathered the Yazidi elders and shared his dream. He then successfully brought his daughters home safely and persuaded other Yazidi men to take back their daughters without harming them. This story represents a significant shift in the traditional honour-shame culture of the Yazidi community.
As a result of this shift, many Yazidi young women who were victims of ISIS are now receiving counselling for trauma healing and discipleship training.
The Yazidi women’s journey to recovery and independence in Germany was highlighted in a special report by Amberin Zaman for Al-Monitor on 20 July 2023. The report detailed the experiences of Yazidi women who were part of Operation Sonderkontingent, a $106 million scheme involving the transfer of 1,100 Yazidi women and child victims of ISIS to Germany in 2015 and 2016. The operation was overseen by Michael Blume, a state official from Baden-Württemberg, who described the program as a “great success”.
The report featured the story of Yasmin, a Yazidi woman who survived rape and torture at the hands of ISIS. After undergoing 160 surgeries following a self-immolation attempt, Yasmin, now 24, is a symbol of the resilience of hundreds of Yazidi women in Germany. She is now studying law and has regained her facial features through surgeries. Yasmin expressed her ambition in fluent German, “I want to study law, to become a lawyer.” Despite the physical and emotional scars, she is determined to move forward. “Beauty lies within us,” she said.
The Yazidi genocide has been recognised by the United Nations, Iraq, the UNITAD investigation team, Scotland, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Australia, Armenia, Italy, France, Iraqi Kurdistan, Ireland, Canada and the European Union.
However, the Yazidi community faces challenges such as survivors’ guilt and the difficulty of family reunification due to Germany’s immigration laws. Despite these challenges, the Yazidi community continues to thrive and grow in Germany.
