Yazidi Religion (mainstream)
Ancient indigenous religion of the Yazidi people, primarily in northern Iraq. Closed-membership: no conversion in or out, strict endogamy. Subject of 2014+ ISIS genocide recognised by UN and multiple national governments.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — closed-membership ancient Iraqi religion; subject of 2014+ ISIS genocide.
Profile facts
In context
The Yazidi religion combines elements possibly drawn from ancient Mesopotamian, Zoroastrian, and Sufi-influenced traditions. Distinctive caste system (Sheikhs, Pirs, Murids) and strict endogamy. The 2014 ISIS genocide killed thousands and enslaved thousands more; Nadia Murad shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for survivor advocacy.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Nadia Murad (Nobel laureate, public advocate)
Legal cases & controversies
- 2014+ ISIS Yazidi genocide
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- AncientYazidi religion crystallises in Mesopotamia
- 2014ISIS Sinjar genocide begins
Sources
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: academic sources. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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