Iraq: Yazidis fleeing ISIS

A tearful, emotional and angry Yazidi member of the Iraqi Parliament admonished the Parliamentary body and asked for immediate assistance in repelling ISIS, who has captured the primarily Yazidi towns of Sinjar and Zumar, killing nearly 2,000 and forcing 200,000 to flea into the nearby mountains without food and water. More than 50 children have died from dehydration in two days and hundreds more children and elderly are risk.

The Yazidis are a Kurdish ethno-religious community whose roots are related to Zoroastrianism. Contemporary Yazidism is a religion of orthopraxy. Practice, in terms of careful adherence to rules governing all aspects of life, is more important than the role of scriptural text, dogma and professions of personal belief.

ISIS has labelled Yazidis devil worshippers, and vowed to wipe them out.

As we pray for Iraq and for Christians who are suffering devastating consequences from the emergence of ISIS, let’s also pray for the Yazidis. They are a largely unreached group, and difficult to break into, but they need protection, comfort, provision and to know that there is hope in the Living God. While Yazidism has a focus on fire, pray that Yazidis will know the light of God’s presence in these traumatic times.