Ezidi survivor: Muslim family rescued me from IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – In testimony before the US Congress on Tuesday, a Kurdish Yezidi (Ezidi) sex slave survivor said that she did not want anyone to attack Islam, stating that a Muslim family rescued her.

Nadia Murad, who was held captive by the Islamic State (IS) as a sex slave, gave testimony before the US Congress. She also revealed the stories of Ezidi women who have been held as sex slaves by IS. Murad asked the Congress to do more to defeat the insurgents in Iraq and Syria.

In August 2014, IS took control of the Kurdish Ezidi populated city of Sinjar (Shingal) enslaving women and committing mass execution and inhumane crimes against the Ezidi people.

The city was liberated on Nov. 14, 2015, by Kurdish Peshmerga forces with the aerial support of international coalition warplanes.

When Murad was captured during the occupation of Shingal by IS, she was 19-years-old.

“I was raped and sold, and was abused, but I was lucky [to survive],” she continued. “Girls at the age of 9 were raped, as well.”

[Nadia Murad, (C), Human Rights Activist, testifies during Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, June 21, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)]

Murad complained that the international community has not held the jihadists accountable for their crimes.

“I was freed, but I do not enjoy the feeling because those who committed these crimes have not been held accountable,” she stated.

Additionally, she revealed that IS does not represent Islam, but their crimes are committed under the name of Islam. Murad explained that some Muslim countries have not reacted to IS and do not label them as non-representative of Islam.

She said that she did not want anyone to attack an entire religion, stating that a Muslim family rescued her from IS in Mosul, north of Iraq.

In an interview with Kurdistan24 following the testimony, Murad said, “Today, I as a [representative] of the thousands of Ezidi women, talked about the inhumane crimes that [IS] has committed against Ezidi people.”

Regarding the rebuilding of Shingal, Murad said, “I didn’t ask [for the reconstruction of] Shingal now because [IS] is still a threat in the area and holds 40 percent of Ezidi areas around the city.”

Murad also noted that she cannot ask the freed Ezidi people to return home or stay in their areas if they do not have secure protection from regional and international powers.

“It’s [Ezidis] right to seek a better place if no one aims to protect them from [IS],” she explained.

Moreover, US Senator Ron Johnson, who was the chairperson and leading person of the testimony, told Kurdistan24 that he witnessed a "powerful" account by Murad of IS’ genocide.

Johnson said he hoped that the US will start to pay more attention to the war against IS and defeat the terrorist organization.

Watch the full testimony below:

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Kurdistan24 team from Washington conducted the interviews)