Barzani vows to defend Yazidis’ rights

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, on Friday vowed to defend Yazidis’ religious rights, according to a presidential statement. “The president congratulated Yazidis on their fasting eid, asserting that Yazidis in Kurdistan form an important part of Kurdistan people and they played a significant role in the liberation movement and made great sacrifices,” said the statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Yazidis are primarily ethnic Kurds. Most of them live near Mosul, with smaller communities in Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey. The estimates of their population size vary, partially due to the Yazidi tradition of secrecy about their religious beliefs. Yazidis worship seven angels, in the form of peacocks, who are subordinate to the supreme god who created the universe. SH (P) 29