Introduction / History
The Yazidi people follow an old religion which has remnants of Zoroastrian (worship of sun and fire); Hinduism (reincarnation and 4 caste system); Judaism (All the prophets and angels); Christianity (Easter eggs, infant baptism); and Islam (saint veneration, fasting and ritual prayer twice a day toward the sun). They are in year 6762 of their religion.

Where are they located?
They are located in villages and cities of the western region of Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) with the sacred valley of Lalish being the center point of their culture.

What are their lives like?
They have been persecuted along with other Kurds by Saddam Hussain and have been misunderstood by Muslims controlling them for centuries. They are scorned and despised as "devil worshippers."

What are their beliefs?
Yazidis believe God created the world and then created 7 archangels to rule it. One of them, the Peacock angel, Satan, passed a test by God and was made the "god of this world." Their world view revolves around angels. Besides praying toward the sun, they will fast for certain angels who control the affairs of this world. They aren't supposed to wear the color blue or eat lettuce. Their holy day is Wednesday and they aren't supposed to take showers on that day. During their pilgrimage to the valley shrine at Lalish,
55 km east of Duhok in Northern Iraq, they will kiss the sacred stone black snake and enter the temple. There they baptize their children, tie colorful cloth to the tomb of the 12th century Sufi mystic who reformed the Yazidi religion, hug pillars, light fires, and perform other rituals. If possible, they will carry dirt from Lalish with them and conceal it behind a veil in their home.

What are their needs?
They believe Christ is the light of God, but are more focused on angels and pleasing them. They are a closed community which accepts no converts and will kill a daughter who marries outside the religion. They need to hear the Gospel and see the lives of true believers. Their villages need development and their schools need English teachers.

Prayer Points
* For the light of Christ to shine upon them.
* For believers to reach out to them in their Diaspora. Iraqi Yazidis are concentrated in Germany, Canada and the USA.
* For other non-Kurdish Yazidis who also worship the Peacock angel to hear the Gospel.
* For believers among them to be accepted as Yazidis who believe in Jesus and not rejected as cultural traitors.