‘Daughters Of Sun’, who were once pounced on the dark night of 3rd August 2014 by the Islamic State, still crave the dawn of justice. The plight of the ‘Yazidi’ community cannot be expressed in words, especially the amount of trauma their women and daughters went through. Often misinterpreted as the ‘Devil Worshipers’, many from this community were deserted on Mt. Sinjar or forced to seek refuge in Western countries.
The reason to revisit this horrifying genocide of Yazidis is important in the context of the movie ‘The Kerala Story.’ Connection? A radicalized genocide of a non-believer religion and another well-planned trap for the women of another non-believer religion. The movie showcases how three women from the Hindu and Catholic religions were softly radicalized to be ISIS brides or slaves.
However, the connection between the Yazidis and Hindus goes beyond the trauma caused by the Islamic State. But first, let us briefly understand the extent of trauma Yazidis went through in the past eleven years.
Who Are The Yazidis?
Living in the scattered regions across Northwest Iraq, Southeast Turkey, and Northwest Syria, the Yazidis led a normal yet secluded life. Where the Islamic State used the phrase ‘Devil Worshipers’ to add some justification to this gruesome radical genocide, the ‘Izidis’ simply translates into the ‘worshippers of god.’
Passed orally from generation to generation, the ‘Yazidism’ religion is said to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions to exist. The existence of this particular ethnic minority was threatened as similar to the Alwais, one can only be born into the religion, and cannot convert to it.
There is not much clear interpretation of the Yazidism religion as their culture has been mainly oral and not open to the world. Many believe that the religion is a blend of Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions, where they revere the Bible and the Koran, while some believe that the religion somewhere resembles ‘Zoroastrianism.’
The Resemblance Between Yazidism and Hinduism
Yazidism, as a culture or religion, has a resemblance to various religions in the world. We all know their references from other religions, here are some cultural resemblances between Yazidis and Hindus.
It is believed that these particular two religions had their paths intertwined since ancient times. In their migration phase, the Yazidis are believed to travel toward India. In this particular time, the Yazidis were said to be influenced by the Hindu culture.
Their shrines or Lalish have a similar form to a Hindu temple, along with art and murals inspired by the Hindu art form. Similar to ‘Aarti’ done in the Hindu religion, the Yazidis light seven diyas called Sanjakas. Each of these diyas is said to be a symbol of one of their seven angels.
Another major similarity is considered between Yazidi’s prime god Tawsi Melek and the Hindu god, Kartikey. ‘Tawsi Melek’ is known to be their peacock angel, while Kartikey’s vaahan is a peacock. They both are said to bring the idea of peace and humanity as well.
From tika, worship rituals, daily life practices, belief in reincarnations, and clothing, both cultures have alot similar among themselves than it is given credit for.
The Yazidi Genocide By The Islamic State
Considering them as ‘kafirs’ or ‘Saitan’, the Islamic State razed the villages of Yazidis in Iraq. Daughters of the sun were taken at dawn, enslaved, and sold in the slave markets made especially for them. Women and girls were stripped naked and priced ranging from their age, shape, and virginity, while boys/men over the age of 12 to 14 were killed.
Videos, documentaries, and interviews of the Yazidi victims inflict how the world including the United Nations turned a blind eye to this radicalized genocide by ISIS. Women were repeatedly gang-raped, sold as sex slaves, and killed when they tried to flee. It is said that about 70,000 to 5,00,000 Yazidis were displaced, and the real number of women taken as sex slaves is still unknown.
Though the Yazidi story is more treacherous, tormenting, and frightening, the ‘Kerala’ story seems like an eye-opener for the survival of Indian women. There are ‘n’ number of camps where ISIS brides are kept whose future holds nothing but darkness.
It’s high time where we shouldn’t feel the need for another story like ‘The Kerala Story’ to tell us about the consequences of a radical state of mind which ends in nothing but trauma and the blood of non-believers.