Mesopotamian Religious Communities Platform stands up for Shengal in Cologne

The self-government system established by the Yazidi after 74 genocides in Shengal must finally be recognized, said the ‘Mesopotamian Religious Communities Platform’ in Cologne.

The ‘Platform of the Mesopotamian Religious Communities’ has called on the governments in Baghdad and Hewlêr (Erbil) not to ignore the right to self-determination of the Yazidi population in Shengal any longer. “The self-government system that the Yazidi population has built after 74 genocides must finally be recognized,” the Platform said on Monday at a rally in Cologne. The Platform brings together Muslims, Alevis, Yazidis and Yarsan under one roof. Activists at the rally demanded “the agreement signed last autumn between the governments of Iraq and South Kurdistan without the involvement of Shengal on the dissolution of the autonomous defense forces in the region must be immediately annulled.”

Preserve the existence of Yazidi from extinction

Hafız Turhalli, co-chairman of the Islamic Community of Kurdistan (Civaka Îslamiya Kurdistan, CÎK) said: “Mesopotamia, or Kurdistan by its other name, is the cradle of faith. All religions, saints and beliefs find their origin here. Unfortunately, this country has been torn apart by colonialists for centuries.” The clergyman reminded of the genocide of the terrorist Islamic State in Shengal in August 2014 and said: “They wanted to achieve the extinction of the existence of the Yazidi people. They did this in the name of Islam. The heroines and heroes of Kurdistan were able to prevent this genocide. We Muslims are fasting to end this persecution. But the invaders are insatiable. They want to destroy us, the Kurdish people, and above all the Yazidis. We say: Kurdistan is the country that is the cradle of beliefs and religions. So if there is an attack on a belief, all denominations and religions in Kurdistan should unite and stand against this attack."