Monday, December 7, 2015

Yazidis find refuge in Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska is home to the largest Yazidi community in the United States.

The Yazidis are ethnically a Kurdish group but differ from other Kurds in that they practice Yazidism. Their religion in an ancient faith that integrates elements of Islam with Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. Their distinct faith has made them the target of persecution by Muslim neighbors throughout history, and the attacks are surfacing again as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gains control of Northwestern Iraq, the location of the Yazidi homeland.

Many Yazidis have found refuge in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is now home to the largest Yazidi community in the United States. As the prospects of returning to their homeland now look grim, the community seeks to form a burial ground here in the US.

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