Lincoln Iraqis call for protection from terrorism

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BY BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star

About 150 members of an Iraqi religious minority carried banners and chanted in Kurdish in Lincoln on Tuesday, protesting attacks on Yezidi homes, cars and holy sites in northern Iraq.

The demonstration outside Lincoln’s federal building was triggered by attacks that began Feb. 15 when two Yezidi men gave a ride to a Muslim woman fleeing an arranged marriage.

The young woman was caught by her family and killed. Then the  home of a religious leader where the two Yezidi men were hiding was set afire, as well as cars, other houses and a Yezidi temple.

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Ghazai Hadgi, left is a members of the Yezidi community. She is part of a protest in front of the Federal Building regarding violent attacks on Yezidi holy sites and religious leaders in Iraq. (Dan Eldridge)

Yezidis follow an ancient faith

The Yezidis follow an ancient religion based in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq. The religion is distinct from Islam and Christianity and may have roots in Zoroastrianism.

Yezidis believe God created the world and placed it in the care of seven angels, the chief of whom is Melek Taus, whose image is represented by a peacock.

They venerate a religious leader known as Sheikh Adi, who lived in the Lalish valley north of Mosul. He died in 1162 and his tomb is a focal point of Yezidi pilgrimages.

The temple at Lalish, near the city of Dahuk, has conical towers and is the site of two sacred springs used for baptisms and other rituals.

Yezidis speak Kurdish but consider themselves a distinct ethnic group. They keep to themselves, do not intermarry with non-Yezidis and accept no converts. Unlike Muslims, they are permitted to eat pork but have a prohibition against eating lettuce.

They have suffered persecution over the centuries, primarily at the hands of Muslims. Under Saddam Hussein, they were victimized as Kurds and as a non-Muslim minority.

After the fall of Saddam, the Yezidis had hopes of religious freedom and representation in the new government. But they still suffer at the hands of Sunni Muslim extremists.

Estimates of the number of Yezidis in the world range from 500,000 to more than 1 million. An estimated 500 live in Lincoln.

These attacks happened in the town of Sheikhan in northern Iraq, demonstrators said.

“The local government didn’t do anything about it,” said Laila Khoudeida, a spokeswoman for Yezidis in Lincoln. “We want people to know, so the problem doesn’t get any bigger.”

According to a statement by The Yezidi Community of the United States, the Kurdish regional government has taken steps to look into the attacks. But demonstrators said justice has not been done.

About 500 Yezidis live in Lincoln, one of the largest populations of the religious minority in the United States.

The Yezidi religion is an ancient faith that adherents claim predates Islam. About 500,000 Yezidis remain in the Kurdish areas of Iraq, and another 500,000 live in other parts of the world, Khoudeida said.

“We just believe that everyone should have their basic rights,” said Faisal Ibrahim, who demonstrated Tuesday.

Local Yezidis want the U.S. government to help ensure protection for Yezidis and all religious minorities in Iraq, he added.

The Yezidis believe the attacks were “an effort by Muslim-radicals to force Yezidis to leave their land,” according to the statement from the U.S. Yezidi community.

“We, the Yezidi community in the United States of America, ask our government and all its agencies to protest and support Yezidis from all forms of terrorism.”

Kawwal Hasan, a local Yezidi spiritual leader, said Yezidis suffered intense persecution under Saddam Hussein and he is glad the Iraqi leader was overthrown.

The Yezidis have a representative in the new Iraqi parliament and some representation in the Kurdish regional government, but Muslim majorities do not support their rights, Hasan said.

Marchers clustered near the west entrance of the federal building and carried banners condemning the attacks in Sheikhan and calling for an investigation.

Other signs called for religious freedom in Iraq and an end to terrorism.

They also carried U.S., Nebraska and Iraqi flags, and photos of a Yezidi temple that was hit by machine gun fire, as well as photos of burned cars and buildings.

“We want to protect our families from Kurds,” said demonstrator Hazem Hesso.

Salem Daoud, a protest leader, said they contacted the offices of Sens. Chuck Hagel and Ben Nelson, asking for U.S. help for Yezidis.

“We need security for our religion,” he said.

Most Yezidis in Lincoln have relatives still living in Iraq, he said, and do not want to see them harmed.

He and several other demonstrators said they support continued U.S. military presence in Iraq.  If troops leave, it likely will trigger more violence against religious minorities, he said.

“They need to stay there to promote safety.”

The demonstration lasted about three hours.

At one point, guards asked demonstrators, who were on the steps of the federal building, to move away from the building. The demonstrators moved into 15th Street, but a police officer soon asked them to move out of the street. Hasan said the group had a permit to demonstrate.

Midway through the gathering, the group marched to the Capitol and demonstrated outside while a delegation delivered a statement to the governor’s office. Gov. Dave Heineman was not there at the time.

They then marched back to the federal building.

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or breeves@journalstar.com.