Ezidis: A People of Blessings

I (Fahed Shammo) live in a tight-knit community that has survived over the centuries because we stick together. Working together with my peers and local community is not only important, but also necessary for survival. In 2022, ALIPH Foundation awarded a grant to research and produce videos about intangible culture in Shingal. This enabled me to join forces with Ezidi expert, Sr. Makrina Finlay, and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Anisa Mehdi: two women from America – one a Christian, the other a Muslim. Not only did I get a camera, computer, and video editing software that enabled me to begin telling my story, and the story of my homeland and people. I was introduced to Christians and Muslims in Northern Iraq who were working on other parts of this project from their own perspective. This exchange has given me an opportunity to see the experiences of my own community from a different perspective and to share it in ways that I hope can reach others while also strengthening my community. It taught me to trust people outside of my community who I now consider to be friends. It also allowed me to mobilize my peers to join me in asking the elders about their previous experiences and to gain from their wisdom as we move forward into the future.

Outside our community, little is known about Ezidism, especially as it is practiced in Shingal, and a great deal of misinformation is widespread. In fact, a major reason for the ISIS attack and many other genocides was the misconception that we worship the evil one. I would like to showcase the traditions that my community holds dear, and to communicate how our religion, our traditions and our way of life are tied together with our understanding of blessing and life on the holy mountain of Shingal. This work is in many ways groundbreaking and timely. For decades, my homeland has been considered too unsafe for researchers to come and learn about our indigenous customs in situ and, as an oral tradition, much is in danger of being lost after ten years of displacement. I also undertake this project at a time when approximately equal parts of my community have returned home, live displaced in Kurdistan and live as refugees in other parts of the world. We are in transition, and at such a time, it is wise to remember our roots even as we develop innovative responses to our new situation. My hope is to raise awareness in my own community about the treasures we have and to provide a window into our rituals and feasts so that a broader audience can better understand and appreciate both the distinctiveness of Ezidism and its universal qualities. I hope that this will provide the basis for a conversation that increases awareness, understanding and respect and shapes a way forward into the future equipped with the traditions that have made us resilient in the past.