Among the many victims of the advance of The Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East are a group of up to 50,000 Yazidis, who are trapped in the mountains in northwest Iraq without food or water.
On account of their unusual beliefs, they are often unjustly referred to as "devil worshippers", and have traditionally held themselves apart in small communities mainly scattered across northwest Iraq, northwest Syria and southeast Turkey. Estimating their current numbers is difficult, with figures ranging from 70,000 to 500,000. Like in many other minority religions, it is impossible to convert to it, but a person rather has to be born into it.
Their name is derived from the Persian word "ized', which stands for angel and is how Yazidis describe themselves.
They respect both the Bible and the Koran, but much of their own tradition is oral. Recent research has shown that they share many elements with Christianity and Islam.
Children are baptised with consecrated water by a pir (priest). At weddings he breaks bread and gives one half to the bride and the other to the groom. The bride, dressed in red, visits Christian churches. In December, Yazidis fast for three days, before drinking wine with the pir. They practise sacrifice of animals and circumcision.
Their supreme being is known as Yasdan. However, he is considered to be on such a high level that he cannot be worshipped directly. He is the Creator of the world and Seven great spirits emanate from him of which the greatest is the Peacock Angel. The peacock in early Christianity was a symbol of immortality, because its flesh does not appear to decay. Yazidis pray to the Peacock Angel five times a day. His other name is Shaytan, which is Arabic for devil, and this has led to the Yazidis being mislabelled as "devil-worshippers".
If they are driven from Iraq and Syria by IS extremists, the likelihood is that more will settle in southeast Turkey where they are left to live out their beliefs in peace.
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