Eleven years have passed since the attack on Shengal by ISIS, which the Yazidi community refers to as the “73rd Ferman” (genocide). ISIS launched a large-scale assault on Shengal, where the Yazidi population was concentrated, resulting in a brutal genocide.
Although the exact death toll remains unknown, thousands of Yazidis were massacred in the attacks, which were eventually pushed back by the intervention of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and People’s Protection Units (YPG). Hundreds of Yazidi women and children were abducted and sold in slave markets.
Historian Namık Kemal Dinç, known for his research on Yazidi history and culture, spoke to ANF about the events Yazidis endured and the period that followed the 73rd Firman.
Dinç emphasized that Yazidis have been subjected to massacres and forced conversion throughout history. He stated, “The only path to liberation for the Yazidis is to establish and strengthen their own self-governance.”
Shengal has always been a place of refuge throughout history
Dinç described Shengal as a geographically unique and historically significant place, emphasizing that it has always served as a refuge for various peoples. He stated: “When we say Shengal, we are essentially referring to Mount Shengal. I believe this distinction is important. Shengal is a mountain mass in the middle of the desert, shaped like a boat, stretching approximately 80 kilometers from east to west and around 10 kilometers from north to south. It marks the point where the mountain ends and the desert begins. Because of its isolated geography, Shengal has always served as a refuge. Different groups have settled here at different times throughout history.
Before the Yazidis, it was known as a sanctuary for various Christian communities. But for the Yazidis, the region took on particular importance in the 11th and 12th centuries with Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, who shaped the Yazidi faith in its current form. From the 13th century onwards, we see the beginning of systematic attacks against the Yazidis, prompting them to seek greater refuge in the mountains of Shengal.
One critical incident occurred during the rule of the Zengid dynasty, under the governor of Mosul, Badr al-Din Lulu. Around 1254, he desecrated Sheikh Adi’s tomb and burned his remains. Since then, Shengal has increasingly become a haven for the Yazidi people, eventually transforming into what we now call ‘Êzidî (Yazidi) Mountain.’ What was once a refuge for various communities gradually turned into the heartland of Yazidi identity. That is why Yazidis today refer to it as ‘Ezidxan’ or ‘Êzidî Xan.’”
Forced to convert to Islam during the reign of Abdulhamid
Dinç added: “One of the regions with the largest Yazidi population is Şêxan, which is also their religious center. Following that, the area where they are most concentrated is “Êzidî Xan”, Mount Sinjar. The increase in attacks on Yazidis throughout history has also led to a growing tendency to seek refuge in this region.
Systematic attacks against Yazidis are often justified by Islamic fatwas that label Yazidism as an apostate belief or a deviation from Islam. These attacks date as far back as the 14th and 15th centuries. In the Ottoman era, beginning in the 16th century, such assaults became increasingly organized and structured.
One of the most explicit examples is described by the 17th-century traveler Evliya Çelebi in his Seyahatname (Book of Travels). He documents a large-scale genocide operation targeting Sinjar, carried out by Melik Ahmed Pasha. When examining the methods and ideological motivations, the attack bears striking similarities to the massacres committed by the ISIS and Al-Qaeda in 2014. Çelebi writes openly: “We burned the people alive,” “We roasted them like kebab,” justifying the violence by stating, “They are infidels who worship the devil.”
This demonizing narrative of Yazidis as “devil worshippers” has persisted to this day, justifying violence, exclusion, and forced displacement. Mount Sinjar thus became a haven for Yazidis. As the frequency of attacks increased, so too did the Yazidi population in the area. This pattern continued well beyond the 17th century.
The last major systematic assault during the Ottoman period occurred in 1892, led by Ömer Vehbi Pasha. Among Yazidis, this event is remembered as the Ferit Pasha Edict. Although the general’s real name was Ömer Vehbi Pasha, he was nicknamed “Ferit” due to his military rank (brigadier general), and this name remains part of Yazidi oral history. He was commissioned by Sultan Abdulhamid, who instructed: “Go there, bring the Yazidis in line. Convert them to Islam. Carry out tashih-i itikadi,” meaning to “correct their beliefs.”
Up until the 19th century, Yazidis were seen as infidels who deserved to be exterminated. But by the end of that century, the logic began to shift. Much like the policies imposed on Alevis, authorities began to see Yazidis as vulnerable to Christian influence and thus opted to pursue forced Islamization. The goal was no longer simply elimination, but religious assimilation.”
They held swords to their throats and forced them to convert to Islam
Dinç continued: “The Ferit Pasha Edict would serve this purpose and, much like what Bedreddin Lulu had done in 1254, it entailed attacks not only on Yazidi people but also on their sacred sites, particularly the shrines and the tomb of Sheikh Adi bin Musafir. These holy relics were confiscated and taken away, only to be returned to the Yazidis decades later, in 1914.
This history once again demonstrates that Yazidis were targeted solely because of their beliefs. However, efforts to systematically convert them to Islam became more pronounced in the second half of the 19th century, particularly under the policies of Sultan Abdulhamid II.
Yazidi sheikhs had swords held to their throats and were told: “Either convert to Islam or you will lose your head.” This marked the beginning of a forced conversion campaign. Those who managed to escape once again sought refuge in Shengal.
Following this, another military operation was carried out against Sinjar. Throughout history, Sinjar has served as a sanctuary for Yazidis, hence its name Êzidîxan or Êzidxan, meaning the land of the Yazidis.”
ISIS attacks are both a continuation of the past and a rupture
Namık Dinç emphasized that the ISIS assault must be seen both as a continuation of historical violence and as a distinct rupture, noting that the genocide was once again carried out based on similar religious decrees: “In my view, the ISIS attack represents both continuity and rupture. There is continuity because, in terms of method, rationale, and process, we see the same pattern repeated. What is it? The fatwas are the same fatwas. The fatwas issued by ISIS are identical to those we have seen in the Ottoman period and under previous regimes. The same fatwas, the same methods: they claim these people have left the religion and therefore can be annihilated. When someone is declared a heretic (murtad), their killing becomes obligatory; confiscating their property becomes obligatory; taking their children and wives becomes obligatory and that is exactly what ISIS did. They slaughtered, and then, in the name of gaining divine reward and securing paradise, seized the women and children and subjected them to forced conversion to Islam.
So, yes, there is continuity, but there is also a rupture. Why do I call it a rupture? Because for the Yazidis, this was a historical break. The Yazidis lost the most densely populated region where they lived. They mainly lived in two areas: the Sheikhan region and Êzidîxan, that is, the Shengal region. And the majority of the Yazidi population was in Shengal. They lost it. The Yazidis from this region were essentially driven out and destroyed; it was a massive destruction.
They refer to it as the ’73rd Decree ‘ and when you consider it from that perspective, it carries the connotation of total eradication. In this sense, it marks one of the greatest traumas Yazidis have endured in their history, and that is why we must also call it a rupture.”
Yazidis are living with deep collective trauma
Namık Dinç emphasized that the Yazidis are living with profound trauma and stressed that what they experienced should not be defined solely as a physical genocide: “As far as I can see, many Yazidis are still living in camps around Duhok and Zakho, but a significant number have migrated to other countries. There is now a Yazidi community in Australia, on the other side of the world. They are also in Canada, the United States, and widespread across Europe. They have become scattered across the globe. And they continue to carry this trauma with them. These problems persist in connection with their internal cultural and adaptation challenges in their host societies.
At the same time, however, there is an ongoing resistance, especially in Shengal, to preserve it as a Yazidi homeland. In that regard, it must be said that a form of resistance continues. I also know that there are intense internal debates among the Yazidis about their faith, particularly about how to adapt it to the modern world. There are tensions and difficulties born from this effort. But on the other hand, we can speak of a Yazidi society and a movement that is beginning to take shape along more modern lines.
The genocide that Yazidis were subjected to was a physical genocide. Therefore, it is impossible for it not to leave behind trauma. The assault they faced was so extreme that the real damage went beyond physical killings. When we met with Yazidis who had fled the genocide and were living in camps in Diyarbakır (Amed) and Şırnak (Şirnex) between 2015 and 2016, they said: ‘We were killed twice.’ What they meant was this: the physical violence had obviously affected them, but what had happened to their women and children, that was the second death. It was such a profound trauma. Being ‘killed twice’ was their way of expressing it. There was hardly a single Yazidi family that hadn’t suffered loss. Some had lost one or two members, others had lost nearly everyone. There were those who had survived after enduring terrible abuse while in ISIS captivity.
For these people to recover from such a trauma, at least several generations will need to pass. It is not something that can be healed easily. So yes, the trauma continues and it will continue for generations. But there was also a broader goal: the annihilation of Yazidi society. I do not know what kind of logic or ideology underpins it, but this was an assault aimed at erasing the Yazidis entirely.
When we look at what is currently happening to other communities, like the attacks on the Druze population in Syria, there are striking similarities.”