Persecuted Sect in Iraq Avoids Its Shrine

By Alissa J. Rubin

October 14, 2007

SHEKHAN, Iraq, Oct. 13 — As the rest of Iraq celebrated the holiday of Id al-Fitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan, the shrine where Iraq ’s persecuted Yazidi minority celebrates a similar holiday, the Jema feast, was nearly empty.

This year was a deadly one in Iraq for Yazidis, who suffered a devastating suicide bomb in August. Iraqi officials estimated that the blast killed close to 500. But even before that, there had been reports of assassinations and kidnappings. The sect is under pressure by both Arab and Kurdish Muslims who want them to convert to Islam. Full Text