Over ten years ago, the so-called Islamic State (IS) attacked Yazidi villages in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Thousands of men were killed, and women and children raped, abducted, and enslaved. In 2023, the German Bundestag recognized IS's crimes against the Yazidis as genocide. The ethnic-religious community of Yazidis numbers around one million members worldwide. Their original main settlement area is in northern Iraq and Syria, as well as southeastern Turkey. Due to the genocide, many were forced to flee, including to Germany, which, with around 200.000 members, is now the second-largest settlement area for Yazidis after Iraq. The diaspora community is demanding – so far without success – a permanent ban on deportations to provide protection and security for the survivors.
This conference aims to address the lack of knowledge about the Yazidis, their society, their faith, and their history of persecution. It offers a forum for stakeholders and interested parties from various social fields and professional perspectives and is the kickoff event in the series on religious diversity in Germany, a collaboration between the Global Ethic Foundation and the Academy of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. Further information: www.akademie-rs.de/vakt_25732