Meet the
People of the
Peacock Angel, the
Yezidi. Theirs is a
religion and culture centered near Mosul, Iraq, as well as Syria, the Caucasus, the via the diaspora in Germany. Seclusive and secretive, the Yezidi have often been
maligned by outsiders due to
misinterpretations of the nature of their primary Deity, Malak Taus (once a rebel angel who recreated the world and doused the fires of hell with his tears).
Gurdjieff (pt.
I, pt.
II) may have been heavily influenced by
them. Unlike other middle-eastern religions, the
Yezidi have rejected dualism and, therefore, the ideas of sin and evil. Various versions float around of the
Black Book of the Yezidi and
other works that form
their sacred literature. Wars, political pogroms and proselytizing have placed this
beautiful, complex and misunderstood tradition in jeopardy.
posted by moonbird
on Jul 4, 2003 -
14 comments
