Yezidi Identity Politics and Political Ambitions in the Wake of the ISIS Attack

This article studies the impact of the ISIS attack and its political aftermath on the identity formation of Yezidis and their political ambition for a future in Iraq. Yezidis, a previously marginalized non-Muslim religious minority, came to play an important role in the Kurdish national movement both ideologically, as the ‘guardians of the original Kurdish faith’, and practically, as a source of logistical support to the Peshmerga in the mountains. Attempts to co-opt Yezidis for the Kurdish cause, contrasted to the memory of repeated persecutions by their Muslim neighbours, resulted in a shifting Yezidi identity, ranging from identifying as Kurdish to considering themselves a distinct ethno-nationalist group. The trauma of the ISIS attack and mass displacement, as well as disappointment in the Kurdish government, weighed against the need for allies make the question of identity more relevant than ever, as it profoundly affects the ways Yezidis envisage their future existence in a post-ISIS Iraq.