In Kurdistan, religion unifies

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) - On Wednesday, the representatives of all eight religious communities in the Kurdistan Region visited Lalish, the Ezidi (Yezidi) temple in Dohuk Province, to strengthen unity among different religious groups.

Leaders of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Ezidi, Zoroastrian, Kakai (Yarsan), Baha’i, Sabaean, and Mandaean communities visited Lalish, the only Ezidi temple in the world. The group plans to visit all the holy places in the Kurdistan Region.

Mariwan Naqshbandi, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, told K24, “We first visited Lalish [because] the Ezidis have suffered the most ever since the Islamic State (IS) attacked their hometown.”

“The visits are a step to prove that nothing can destroy the peace and unity of religions in the Kurdistan Region. Kurdistan is a unique symbol of religious freedom in the Middle East,” he added.

Khairi Bozani, Director General of the Ezidi Affairs in the KRG said, “Not only is KRG politically pluralist, but also the Kurdish nation is a pluralist community in which different religions, cultures, and nations co-exist."

Bozani criticized a recent Amnesty International report which claimed the Peshmerga were destroying Arab villages. “It’s a pity that Amnesty as a famous international organization claims that the Peshmerga, the only force who stands against terrorism [on the ground], is an oppressor itself.”

“Currently, the Kurdistan Region is the only bastion of resistance to terrorism while many other regional states welcome IS,” he added.

Lalish Temple, the holy site of Ezidis near the IS-controlled Mosul, is now home to Ezidis who escaped the nearby city of Sinjar (Shingal) when it was invaded by the IS insurgents in 2014. Shingal was liberated by the Peshmerga and US-led coalition forces in November 13, 2015.

Reporting by Gulala Khaled

Editing by Ava Homa