Free Downloads The Yezidis: The History Of A Community, Culture And Religion
The minority communities of northern Iraq are under increasingly severe threat from Islamic State jihadists. Among these minorities, the Yezidis have one of the most remarkable legacies of any tradition in the Middle East. Yet not just their religious and material culture but now their entire existence is in peril as entire populations seek refuge from their violent oppressors.But who are the Yezidis (or 'Yazidis' as in much of the Western media)? The community has been misunderstood and oppressed for centuries. Predominantly ethnic Kurds, and the target of persecution over many centuries, until now they have succeeded in keeping their ancient religion alive despite the claim that they are 'devil worshippers.'This is the essential guide to a threatened tradition. It reveals an intricate system of belief influenced by Zoroastrianism and Sufism and regional paganism like Mithraism. It explores the origins of the Yezidis, their art and architecture and the often misunderstood (and now progressively life-threatening) connections between Yezidism and the Satan/Sheitan of Christian and Muslim tradition. Extensively illustrated, with maps, photographs and illustrations, this pioneering book is a testimonial to one of the region's most extraordinary and ancient peoples.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: I.B.Tauris (October 16, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1784532169
ISBN-13: 978-1784532161
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #421,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #127 in Books > History > World > Religious > Ethnic & Tribal #174 in Books > History > Middle East > Iraq #403 in Books > Law > Constitutional Law > Human Rights
This book focusses mainly on the culture and history of Yezidis. Since the Fall of 2014, the atrocities of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) committed in Iraq and Syria came into light, the world learned that thousands of innocent Yezidis were slaughtered. Their plight and sufferings are too gruesome to describe. Since then there has been a surge of interest in understanding the culture and traditions of Yezidi people. This book gives a comprehensive introduction to Yezidi society, and examines Yezidism not only as a religion but also as a social and historical phenomenon.A brief summary of this book is as follows: Yezidism did not have liturgical or historical writing before 12th century, but the contemporary religious practices and hymns orally transmitted over generations hint at various layers of development. Modern Yezidis are mainly of Kurdish origin whose ancestors practiced a proto Indo-Iranian religion. Yezidis pray God through the banners of the Peacock Angel and consider celestial gods like sun, fire, water and earth as sacred. They generally pray in the direction of sun, and perform fire sacrifices. Fire is an important part of many ceremonial rituals, and Yezidis are strong believers in reincarnation. They also have a caste system and observe the rite of baptism. All these practices are traced to a proto Indo-Iranian practices that is clearly documented in the Rig Veda and ancient Sanskrit literature of Hinduism. For example, the hymns of Rig-Veda of Hinduism were orally transmitted for 3,000 years in Brahmanical system.The Islamic practices were introduced to Yezidis much later in 12 century by Sufi Sheikh Adi. After his death in 1162, the Yezidi successors blended his doctrine with Islamic beliefs, which became the modern Yezidi doctrine as we know today.
Before a year a couple of years ago many people had never heard of the Yezidi, now people know of them because they were victimized by the radical group, ISIS. Now they have been driven from their homelands and their women and you g girls have been sold into white slavery . Most people do not know anything more about these people . Which makes this book great because it discusses their origins, history, religious observances, societal structure and material culture. In the introduction this Kurdish woman from Turkey discusses the challenges of traveling to the different areas where the Yezidis live.Those with a slight familiarity with the Middle East know that many people have mistakenly called the Yezidis devil worshippers. The peacock has been conflated with the devil. It was the peacock that lead Iblis into paradise so he could deceive Adam and Eve.In Zoroastrian mythos the wicked god Angra Mainyu made a peacock to display that he could make something good. The peacock is also a metaphor for Satan, decked out in colorful attire yet his feet are totally ugly. The peacock has even more meaning . The peacock was also a symbol for Tammuz , the Greenman of Mesopotamia.According to Yezidi mythos. God created created the world as as giant pearl and then place it on the back of a bird that he created called Anfar. Later he sent the Melek Taws and the heptad of angels to break the earth apart and make it come to life. According to one legend of the Yezidi Melek Taws was the head angel, like Lucifer and since he refused to bow to man God chose him to lead the planet Earth. According to another legend Melek Taws rebelled against the creation of man but then later repented and god accepted his repentance.
The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion The Intimate Universal: The Hidden Porosity Among Religion, Art, Philosophy, and Politics (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture) Acute Melancholia and Other Essays: Mysticism, History, and the Study of Religion (Gender, Theory, and Religion) Mass and the Sacraments: A Course in Religion Book II (A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies Ser.) When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Memory, Music, and Religion: Morocco's Mystical Chanters (Studies in Comparative Religion) Magic Witchcraft and Religion: A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion Santeria: the Religion: Faith, Rites, Magic (Llewellyn's World Religion & Magick) Buddhism the Religion of No-Religion (Alan Watts Love of Wisdom) O Sisters Ain't You Happy?: Gender, Family, and Community Among the Harvard and Shirley Shakers, 1781-1918 (Women and Gender in Religion) Women in Shaker Community and Worship: A Feminist Analysis of the Uses of Religious Symbolism (Studies in Women and Religion) Community/Public Health Nursing Practice: Health for Families and Populations, 5e (Maurer, Community/ Public Health Nursing Practice) What Is a Community? (Our Global Community: Acorn Read-Aloud) The Four Seasons of Shaker Life: An Intimate Portrait of the Community at Sabbathday Lake (Last Shaker Community) The Community Table: Recipes & Stories from the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan & Beyond Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-Oriented Practice, 4e Community Assessment Reference Guide for Community Health Nursing: Advocacy for Population Health My Hindu Community (My Community) Using Oral History in Community History Projects (Practices in Oral History) Cloud of the Impossible: Negative Theology and Planetary Entanglement (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)
