A Cry in the Desert

Yazidis in Syria are a group of people that have been ruthlessly attacked over and over again and have survived as many as 64 genocide attempts. They are found primarily in Iraq and Syria clinging close to the Sinjar Mountain – a mountain that has been their refuge for many generations.

Before there were Muslims in Syria and before there were Christians in Syria – there were Yazidis.

Today they primarily live in two places in Syria – Al-Jazira and Kurd-Dagh.

Yazidis follow a distinct monotheistic faith that you cannot convert to. You must be born into the Yazidi faith and if a Yazidi marries someone that is not Yazidi then that person is considered to have left the faith, so both race and religion play a big part of their daily lives.

They believe in one God who created the entire world and entrusted it to the care of seven holy beings that are angles. The most prominent angel among these is an angel by the name of Melek that is most widely known as a Peacock Angel. This belief in Melek has made many neighboring Muslim groups and some Christians to believe that the Yazidi’s worship Satan.

When the Yazidis were attacked in 2014, ISIS fighters believed that they were ridding the world of an evil people group. Yazidi men were lined up, executed, and buried in mass graves. Young boys were forced to take off their shirts and raise their hands – those that had hair under their arm as a sign of post puberty – were executed. The young boys were carried off and forced to be fighters and suicide bombers.

The women of all ages were taken and sold as sex slaves.

Sadly, the world did very little to stop the slaughter that took place, but there were Christians that came to befriend the Yazidis and provide love, care, and support.

Today the Yazidi’s look upon the Christians much more favorably than they did before because of the support that Christians have provided.

Prayer

Pray for the Yazidi people. There are many religious bridges that Christians can use to connect the unknown message of the Gospel to this largely unreached people group.

Scripture

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Mark 16:15-20