Sema
A Study on the Role of Ezidi Survivors in Raising Awareness of ISIS Crimes Against the Ezidi Community
Dr. Arshad Hamad Maho
Ph.D. in the History of Iraqi Minorities
Introduction
Throughout history, Kurdish women have played a significant role in the major events and military campaigns waged against Kurdistan. On one hand, they stood alongside men, providing moral and logistical support in resisting invaders. On the other hand, they often became the primary victims of conquest, subjected to captivity and sexual enslavement as spoils of war.
This reality became especially evident during ISIS’s occupation of Sinjar on August 3, 2014, marking a new chapter in the history of Ezidi women. Amid the brutal assault, Ezidi women once again demonstrated remarkable courage and sacrifice, with many assuming leadership roles that surpassed those of men. At the same time, they endured immense suffering, becoming victims of long-standing practices associated with warfare. ISIS systematically enslaved Ezidi women, subjected them to sexual slavery, rape, and human trafficking, selling them in slave markets for meager sums.
Yet, from this profound tragedy emerged another story—one of resilience. Many Ezidi women challenged these horrific circumstances, reclaimed their dignity after escaping captivity, and returned to an Ezidi community that welcomed them with respect and compassion. Their determination transformed them into powerful symbols of resilience and hope.
This study examines the role of Ezidi women in bringing attention first to their own suffering and, more broadly, to the Ezidi cause in the contemporary era. It highlights the persecution they endured because of their religious identity and explores how Ezidi survivors became leading voices in exposing the genocide committed against the Ezidi people during ISIS’s occupation of Sinjar.
The study also discusses the positive role played by international organizations and the United Nations in supporting Ezidi survivors by providing platforms where they could testify about ISIS’s atrocities. Survivors such as Nadia Murad, Layla Taloo, Lamiya Haji Bashar, Farida Abbas, and many others played a pivotal role in drawing global attention to the suffering of the Ezidi community and the sacrifices it endured under ISIS.
First: The Enslavement of Ezidi Women from an Islamic Jurisprudential Perspective
The practice of enslaving women is not unique to the modern era; rather, it was a common feature of many wars fought by ancient tribes, kingdoms, and empires. In pre-Islamic Arabia, women and children of defeated groups were commonly taken captive after battles. Following the advent of Islam, the issue of captivity became associated with military campaigns and conquests, and classical Islamic jurisprudence addressed the treatment of captives within its historical context.
The subject of female captivity, slavery, and servitude remains one of the most debated issues in Islamic legal thought. While many contemporary scholars reject or reinterpret these practices, historical sources—including the Qur’an, Hadith, and classical juristic writings—reflect differing legal interpretations shaped by their historical and social contexts. The author notes that extremist organizations often rely on selective interpretations that align with their ideological agendas, rather than with the values and realities of the modern world. The study itself does not seek to examine Islamic legal theory in general, but rather the interpretations that extremist groups have invoked to justify their crimes.
According to the study, classical Islamic jurisprudence generally permitted the enslavement of women and children captured during warfare, arguing that no explicit Qur’anic prohibition on slavery or concubinage existed. On this basis, many jurists regarded such practices as legally permissible within their historical context, following the legal principle that actions remain permissible unless explicitly prohibited.
The study further explains that throughout history, certain Qur’anic verses and Prophetic traditions were cited by rulers, jurists, and later by extremist organizations to legitimize slavery and the enslavement of women. One example discussed is Qur’an 4:3, in which the phrase “those whom your right hands possess” was traditionally interpreted by many classical jurists as referring to female captives. According to the author, these historical interpretations were later exploited by groups such as ISIS to claim religious legitimacy for their criminal practices.
Second: ISIS and the Enslavement of Ezidi Women
According to the author, ISIS based its criminal practices on selected interpretations of Islamic heritage, religious rulings (fatwas), the teachings of some mosque preachers, and extensive financial support. The study argues that the ideological environment created by religious campaigns in Iraq during the 1990s contributed to the spread of conservative Salafi thought associated with figures such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, as well as contemporary clerics. It further contends that ISIS emerged from this ideological background and later exploited the conditions created after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq for objectives the author describes as remaining unclear.
The study describes the ISIS assault on the Ezidis as the first major campaign against the community in republican Iraq, occurring nearly a century after the last Ottoman campaign against the Ezidis in 1918, which had also involved the enslavement of women and children. The author argues that the 2014 attack repeated the historical persecution of the Ezidi people despite taking place in the twenty-first century—an era shaped by principles of democracy, human rights, and the existence of the United Nations. According to the study, the events marked one of the gravest tragedies experienced by the Ezidi community since the end of the Second World War.
The study states that ISIS regarded the Ezidis as unbelievers and therefore considered them legitimate targets for attack. On the morning of August 3, 2014, ISIS fighters launched a large-scale assault on Sinjar (Shingal) and surrounding Ezidi towns and villages under the banner of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Following the withdrawal of military forces, ISIS rapidly captured the region. The author also cites testimony asserting that cooperation from some neighboring Arab villages and tribes facilitated ISIS’s advance into Ezidi areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Ezidis fled toward Syria and the cities of the Kurdistan Region. Estimates cited in the study indicate that between 100,000 and 400,000 people became trapped on Mount Sinjar without adequate food or water, where many children and elderly people died from the extreme summer heat.
During its assault, ISIS committed widespread atrocities against civilians. According to the study, hundreds of men were captured, executed, and buried in mass graves, including one grave containing approximately 500 victims. Numerous young men and elderly civilians were beheaded, while thousands of women and children were abducted and enslaved. ISIS also looted homes and property, destroyed villages, and burned entire communities, leaving widespread devastation across the Sinjar region.
Initial Abductions and the Enslavement of Ezidi Women
According to the study’s initial statistics, approximately 3,500 Ezidi women and girls from Sinjar (Shingal) were abducted by ISIS. They were taken to detention centers before being distributed among ISIS fighters or sold in slave markets established for that purpose in Tal Afar, Mosul, and Raqqa in Syria. The study states that many of the captives were assigned to ISIS members and commanders, while others were traded in markets that extended to the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Latakia.
Drawing on interviews with survivors, the study reports that the women were subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse, repeated sexual violence, beatings, and humiliation. According to these testimonies, the brutality of their treatment led some captives to attempt or commit suicide, believing death was preferable to continued captivity.
Testimony of Amsha
One of the survivors cited in the study is Amsha, a 19-year-old Ezidi woman from the village of Kocho. She was the mother of a young child and was pregnant when ISIS attacked. Her husband was killed by the group, and she was forced into captivity.
After escaping from an elderly man in Mosul who intended to transport her to Syria for sale, Amsha recounted that she had been among those unable to flee to Mount Sinjar. She witnessed the execution of men, elderly people, women, and even children over the age of ten, including her husband and members of his family. She and other women were then transported to Mosul and confined in a large detention hall.
Amsha stated that more than 2,000 Ezidi women were being held in the facility. She described seeing Ezidi girls sold repeatedly for 10,000–15,000 Iraqi dinars (about US$10 at the time), after which they were repeatedly raped and later resold in Syria and other locations for approximately US$200. According to her testimony, the captives were forced to convert to Islam before being assigned in marriage to ISIS members. Those who refused were threatened with execution, along with their children. She also said that some captives were forced to call their families and describe the abuse they were enduring as a form of psychological warfare against both the victims and their relatives.
Nadia Murad’s Account of the Kocho Massacre
The study notes that Kocho, located about 15 kilometers south of Sinjar, suffered one of the deadliest massacres during the ISIS assault. In her memoir The Last Girl, Nadia Murad recounts how ISIS surrounded the village beginning on August 6, 2014, before gathering residents at the village school on August 15.
According to her account, ISIS demanded that the villagers convert to Islam and surrender their money, valuables, and gold. Men and women were separated inside the school. When the village leader, Ahmed Jasso, refused to renounce the Ezidi faith, ISIS loaded groups of men into pickup trucks, transported them to the outskirts of the village, and executed them near mass graves. Nadia recalls hearing the gunfire from inside the school while hundreds of men—including her own brothers—were killed.
Nadia further describes how, after the executions, ISIS transported the surviving women and girls to the Solagh Institute in Sinjar, where young women were separated from elderly women. She was separated from her mother before being taken by bus to Mosul, where ISIS fighters subjected the captives to harassment and abuse during the journey. She later learned that many of the elderly women had been executed and buried in a mass grave near Solagh village.
Testimony of Dunya
Another survivor identified as Dunya described the extreme violence she and other Ezidi women endured after their capture. She recalled being transported from Kocho to Tal Afar and then to Mosul, where ISIS members attempted to separate unmarried girls from married women. When her sister-in-law resisted, ISIS fighters killed her in front of the captives.
Dunya stated that approximately 500 Ezidi women were held in a house in Mosul, where ISIS members selected young women to be taken away. Those who resisted were beaten. She recalled that some girls later returned after being raped, including one 15-year-old who, according to her testimony, had been assaulted by four ISIS members and bore visible injuries from severe beatings.
Additional Survivor Testimonies
Another survivor, Salwa Khalaf, recounted how she was captured by ISIS and later managed to escape, like hundreds of other Ezidi women and girls who were rescued or fled with the help of various individuals and organizations.
According to Salwa, ISIS surrounded her village on August 3, 2014, detained the men—who were later executed—and transported the women, girls, and children first to Ba’aj and then to Mosul, where they were confined in a large hall with more than one hundred captives. After a week, ISIS separated young women from elderly women and boys over the age of nine, claiming the children would be taught Islam. Salwa and a group of young women were then transferred to Al-Hasakah, Syria, where they endured severe psychological and physical abuse. She testified that ISIS fighters, including elderly men, selected girls young enough to be their daughters as captives, subjecting them to rape and forced domestic labor.
Salwa further stated that an ISIS commander later informed the captives that they had to convert to Islam before being forcibly married to ISIS fighters, threatening execution for anyone who refused. Fearing death, the women declared their conversion. Each day, young women between the ages of 16 and 20 were taken and assigned to ISIS members, where they were subjected to rape, beatings, and abuse.
Eventually, Salwa and one of her friends were taken by a man in his fifties to Raqqa, Syria, where they were held in a small house under harsh conditions. After nine days, they escaped by breaking the door while their captor was away. Disguised in black abayas to conceal their identities, they managed—with the assistance of local civilians and later Kurdish forces—to reach areas under Kurdish control before eventually returning to the Kurdistan Region with the help of Ezidi community members and local officials.
Attempts at Suicide
The study argues that the daily psychological torture, physical abuse, and sexual violence inflicted by ISIS drove many Ezidi women and girls to consider suicide. Some took their own lives, while others survived suicide attempts.
One example is Jilan, a 16-year-old girl from the Kar Azer complex. According to the study, ISIS killed 20 members of her family, including siblings and relatives, before taking her captive. After being moved from Sinjar to Tal Afar, Mosul, and later Ba’aj, she was purchased by a local resident. Unable to endure the abuse and violence she experienced, Jilan ended her own life rather than remain in captivity.
Another survivor, Berivan, from the village of Meherkan, attempted suicide several times but survived after receiving medical treatment. She recalled witnessing ISIS execute her father and brothers after attacking her village on August 3, 2014. She was later transported to Mosul and sold to an elderly man for 100,000 Iraqi dinars.
Initially told she would work as a domestic servant, Berivan said her captor later attempted to sexually assault her. In response, she tried to end her life by ingesting poisonous medication but survived after being taken to a hospital. Three weeks later, she was sold again, this time to a man from Tal Afar, who also attempted to assault her. After resisting repeated attacks, she tried to take her own life once more by cutting her wrist, awakening later in a medical center after receiving emergency treatment.
ISIS’s Public Justification of Enslavement
The study concludes by noting that ISIS openly acknowledged and justified its crimes against the Ezidi community in its English-language magazine Dabiq. According to the author, the organization claimed that the enslavement of Ezidi women and the killing of Ezidis were religiously sanctioned under its interpretation of Islamic law, citing selected religious texts and medieval juristic opinions.
The article quotes Dabiq as stating that enslaving the women of non-Muslims is “one of the firmly established aspects of Sharia,” and that denying this practice amounts to denying the Qur’an and the Prophet’s teachings. It also cites another passage asserting that the continued existence of the Ezidi minority in Nineveh Plain, Iraq, and the Levant was incompatible with ISIS’s interpretation of Islamic teachings regarding polytheists who refused conversion to Islam. The study presents these statements as evidence of ISIS’s own published ideological justification for the crimes it committed against the Ezidi community.
Document Allegedly Issued by ISIS on the Pricing of Captives
The study refers to a document that circulated online and was attributed to ISIS. Although the authenticity of the document could not be independently verified, the author argues that its contents closely correspond with numerous survivor testimonies and therefore considers it worthy of discussion.
The document, reportedly issued by ISIS’s Bayt al-Mal (Treasury Department) under the title “Prices for the Sale of War Booty,” claimed that declining prices in the slave market had reduced the Islamic State’s revenues and the financing of its fighters. It therefore announced fixed prices for Ezidi and Christian women and children taken captive, while threatening punishment for anyone who violated the prescribed pricing system.
According to the document, the listed prices were:
- Women aged 10–20: 150,000 Iraqi dinars
- Women aged 20–30: 100,000 Iraqi dinars
- Women aged 30–40: 75,000 Iraqi dinars
- Women aged 40–50: 50,000 Iraqi dinars
- Children aged 1–9: 200,000 Iraqi dinars
The study presents this document as further evidence of the systematic nature of ISIS’s trafficking and enslavement of Ezidi and Christian civilians.
Third: The Position of Islamic Religious Authorities on the Enslavement of Ezidi Women
The revival of slavery by ISIS and its treatment of Ezidi women prompted widespread debate among Islamic institutions regarding the religious legitimacy of such practices. Numerous official statements and religious opinions were issued addressing the enslavement of Ezidi women, whom ISIS had labeled as unbelievers under its extremist ideology.
According to the study, the Ezidi community closely followed the reactions of moderate Muslim scholars and official religious institutions, hoping for a clear condemnation of ISIS’s actions. Although Ezidi activists repeatedly called for leading Islamic authorities to issue formal religious rulings declaring ISIS and its practices outside the bounds of Islam, the author notes that no global Islamic institution issued a universal declaration of excommunication (takfir) against ISIS.
Nevertheless, the study highlights several important official religious responses.
Jordan’s General Iftaa Department
On October 29, 2015, Jordan’s General Iftaa Department (Council of Islamic Research and Studies), in Fatwa No. 219, declared that Islam did not introduce slavery or captivity but inherited them from earlier civilizations. According to the fatwa, Islamic legislation sought to eliminate slavery gradually by encouraging emancipation, prohibiting the enslavement of free people, allocating zakat funds for freeing slaves, and promoting liberation as a virtuous act.
The fatwa concluded that ISIS’s practices of enslaving, trafficking, and selling women were religiously prohibited, directly contradicted the objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid al-Sharia), and violated the modern international consensus abolishing slavery. It emphasized that Islam promotes freedom rather than enslavement and quoted the well-known saying attributed to Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab:
“Since when have you enslaved people when their mothers gave birth to them free?”
The ruling was signed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Karim Al-Khasawneh.
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta
The study also cites Fatwa No. 3232, issued on November 5, 2015, by Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt’s official fatwa authority).
The ruling described ISIS’s abduction and enslavement of Ezidi and Christian women as:
- the unlawful sale of free women,
- legalized rape,
- coercion into prostitution,
- armed banditry,
- corruption on earth,
- and a grave violation of God’s covenant and the teachings of the Prophet.
It stressed that Islam bears no responsibility for such criminal acts.
The fatwa further explained that the Qur’an contains no command requiring the enslavement of prisoners of war. Instead, it argued that slavery existed globally before Islam, and Islamic legislation gradually restricted and diminished the institution while making freedom the fundamental principle and encouraging emancipation. The ruling was signed by Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt.
Kurdistan Union of Muslim Scholars
The Union of Muslim Scholars in Kurdistan-Iraq also issued a public statement in November 2015 condemning ISIS’s actions.
During a press conference, Union President Dr. Abdullah Saeed declared that:
“The practices carried out by ISIS are false and have no connection whatsoever with Islam.”
The Union condemned ISIS’s sale, rape, and enslavement of Ezidi and Christian women, describing these acts as crimes against humanity that had deeply harmed Kurdish society.
The organization explained that it had collected documentary evidence of ISIS’s crimes and consulted both the Egyptian and Jordanian fatwa authorities in support of issuing authoritative religious rulings condemning slavery and sexual enslavement. According to the statement, these rulings would serve as historic documents demonstrating to both the Islamic world and future generations that ISIS’s crimes were committed falsely in the name of Islam and that Islam rejects such inhumane acts.
Statement Attributed to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
The study also notes that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s leading Shiite religious authority, publicly condemned the treatment of Ezidi women and stated that their enslavement was impermissible. Although the author was unable to obtain the original text of the statement, numerous news agencies and al-Sistani’s office reportedly confirmed the position in late 2014.
Continuing Debate
Despite these condemnations, the author argues that more explicit positions from influential Sunni religious authorities—particularly those in Iraq and areas formerly controlled by ISIS—remain necessary.
The study cites Dr. Adam Bedar, a specialist in Islamic sects and the author of a study on slavery in Islam, who argues that ISIS’s practices were rooted in historical interpretations found within parts of the Islamic legal tradition. He warns that unless these interpretations are critically re-examined and reformed through scholarly and religious efforts, similar crimes could be repeated in the future.
Dr. Bedar therefore calls upon educational institutions, universities, and religious scholars to organize conferences and establish expert committees to address these interpretations, emphasizing that both the Qur’an and the Prophetic tradition reject such atrocities and that contemporary Muslim scholarship must continue working to eliminate any religious justification for slavery and sexual violence.
Conclusion
The study concludes that these evolving religious perspectives could encourage both the international community and Muslim societies to reassess historical interpretations related to slavery in light of international law, human rights principles, and modern ethical standards. Such efforts, the author argues, are essential not only for preventing the misuse of religion by extremist groups but also for supporting Ezidi survivors and ensuring that crimes such as sexual enslavement are universally recognized as crimes against humanity rather than acts with any legitimate religious basis.
According to the latest statistics from the Office for the Rescue of Kidnapped Ezidis, affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government, ISIS abducted 6,417 Ezidis during its assault on Sinjar in August 2014, including women, children, and men. As of 2023, 3,574 captives had been rescued, including 1,150 women and girls, 337 men, 946 female survivors, and 867 male children. The report states that 2,843 people remain missing, including 1,452 females and 1,662 males (Office for the Rescue of Kidnapped Ezidis, Duhok, 2023).
Only a few months after ISIS occupied Sinjar, an important issue emerged within the Ezidi community: the return of women who had survived ISIS captivity. Initially, many institutions and observers believed that the Ezidi community might reject survivors because they had endured sexual violence. However, sustained efforts by Ezidi activists and community leaders led to an official declaration by Prince Tahseen Saeed Beg and Baba Sheikh, the highest Ezidi religious authority, affirming that survivors must be welcomed, respected, and protected.
On October 4, 2014, Prince Tahseen Saeed issued a public statement addressed to both the international community and the Ezidi people, urging them to receive returning women with dignity and compassion. The statement declared:
“The Ezidi community, in all its religious and social components, proudly welcomes our returning daughters, who remain honored and respected among us and within their families.”
The statement also rejected reports claiming that survivors would face honor killings, isolation, or rejection, emphasizing instead that the Ezidi community eagerly awaited their return.
This position was further reinforced by a statement issued by Baba Sheikh, first announced in September 2014 and later formalized in February 2015. He declared that:
“Ezidi women and men who survived captivity remain pure Ezidis. No one has the right to question their Ezidi faith, because what happened to them was entirely beyond their control. No one may determine their future or religious identity. Instead, it is our collective duty to support them and help them return to normal life.”
Baba Sheikh also called upon the Ezidi community to assist survivors in rebuilding their lives and reintegrating into society.
These declarations received widespread international recognition. The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, praised Baba Sheikh’s statement as an important example that other religious authorities should follow. Likewise, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) described the Ezidi leadership’s position as courageous, noting that it significantly reduced survivors’ suffering and prevented potential social stigmatization.
The study concludes that this unprecedented religious and social support enabled many survivors to become active members of civil society. Rather than being marginalized, many Ezidi women emerged as advocates for justice, sharing their experiences through international media and global forums. Beginning with Nadia Murad’s public testimony in Geneva and later at the United Nations, survivors helped bring international recognition to ISIS’s crimes and strengthened global efforts to have the atrocities officially recognized as genocide.
Fifth: The Emergence of Ezidi Survivors on the International Stage
Contrary to expectations that survivors would remain silent after enduring severe physical and psychological trauma, many Ezidi women transformed themselves into prominent human rights advocates at both the national and international levels.
Having survived ISIS captivity, these women began speaking openly about the atrocities they had experienced, including sexual slavery, torture, and other forms of abuse. Their testimonies exposed ISIS’s systematic campaign to destroy the Ezidi community and highlighted the suffering of thousands who remained in captivity.
According to the study, ISIS repeatedly attempted to convince captive women that, if they escaped, their own community would reject them because they had been raped. However, the opposite occurred. The welcoming stance adopted by the Ezidi religious leadership and society gave survivors the confidence to speak publicly, challenge ISIS’s propaganda, and become advocates for justice.
Supported by the international community, governments, and humanitarian organizations, Ezidi survivors participated in conferences, parliamentary hearings, and United Nations events around the world. Their testimonies helped increase global awareness of ISIS’s crimes against religious minorities and strengthened international calls to prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Among these survivors, Nadia Murad became the most internationally recognized figure.
Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad, a survivor from the village of Kocho, was abducted during the ISIS massacre of August 15, 2014. After escaping from captivity in Mosul in late 2014, she refused to remain silent and quickly began speaking publicly about the suffering of Ezidi captives.
From the earliest days following her escape, Nadia called upon governments and international organizations to rescue the thousands of Ezidis still held by ISIS and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
One of the defining moments of her advocacy came on December 16, 2015, when she addressed the United Nations Security Council during a session on human trafficking in armed conflict. During her emotional testimony, Nadia described how she had been enslaved, sold, and repeatedly raped by ISIS fighters in Mosul, Tal Afar, and Hamdaniya over a period of approximately three months. She explained that she had been separated from her mother and sisters, forced to wear revealing clothing and makeup, and witnessed horrific abuses, including forced abortions, the rape of minors, and the separation of infants from their mothers.
She also recounted being stripped naked before being handed over to several ISIS fighters who repeatedly raped her until she lost consciousness. Nadia concluded her testimony by urging the international community to defeat ISIS permanently, rescue the remaining captives, and prosecute those responsible for these crimes.
According to the study, then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was deeply moved by her testimony and reportedly stated that he was brought to tears not only by the suffering she described but also by her extraordinary courage and dignity.
In recognition of her advocacy, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) appointed Nadia Murad as its Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking in 2016.
Using the international attention surrounding the Ezidi genocide, Nadia met with numerous world leaders. During the World Youth Forum in Cairo in 2018, she met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who expressed support for the Ezidi cause and pledged to advocate for international recognition of the genocide. She also met Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar, who condemned ISIS’s crimes, emphasizing that what ISIS had done to Ezidi women had no connection to Islam.
In the United States, Nadia met senior officials at both the White House and the U.S. Congress, urging greater humanitarian assistance for displaced Ezidis and calling for the prosecution of ISIS members before international courts. Among her notable meetings was one with U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice, as well as members of both the Democratic and Republican parties, who expressed support for victims of ISIS atrocities.
In recognition of her global human rights advocacy, the Iraqi government nominated Nadia Murad for the Nobel Peace Prize. On October 5, 2018, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Congolese physician Dr. Denis Mukwege, for their efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict and promote justice for survivors. She became the first Iraqi to receive the Nobel Peace Prize since its establishment, symbolizing the resilience of the Ezidi people and bringing unprecedented international attention to the genocide committed against them.
Nadia Murad’s Continued International Advocacy
Nadia Murad continued her international advocacy following her appointment as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. On July 19, 2019, she was received at the White House by U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting with survivors of religious persecution from around the world. During the meeting, Nadia briefly introduced herself and described how she had been captured by ISIS, sold into sexual slavery, repeatedly raped, beaten, and tortured before eventually escaping. After receiving medical treatment in Germany, she explained that she chose to tell the world about the suffering endured by Ezidi women under ISIS.
Another significant milestone in Nadia’s advocacy was her meetings with Pope Francis at the Vatican. She first met the Pope in late 2017 and again in March 2021, where she discussed the Ezidi genocide and the atrocities committed by ISIS. In recognition of her humanitarian work and continued efforts to combat extremism and promote peace, Chapman University in California awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters on May 22, 2022. The university also unveiled a statue of Nadia on its campus alongside that of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., recognizing her contribution to human rights and peace.
2. Layla Taalo Khidr
Layla Taalo Khidr represents another prominent example of an Ezidi survivor who transformed personal tragedy into international human rights advocacy.
Born in Sinjar in 1987, Layla was denied formal education during her childhood because of difficult economic and political conditions. She is the mother of two children. During ISIS’s attack on Sinjar on August 3, 2014, she and 18 members of her family were captured. More than nine years later, the fate of many of her relatives remains unknown.
Layla and her two children remained in ISIS captivity for two years and eight months before escaping from Raqqa, Syria, with the assistance of smugglers and the Syrian Democratic Forces. During her captivity, she endured severe physical and psychological abuse, including sexual violence and forced enslavement.
Following her escape, Layla immediately began speaking publicly through local and international media about the atrocities committed against Ezidi women. She described systematic rape, the separation of children from their mothers, the forced conversion of Ezidi children to Islam, and the military training of abducted boys to become future ISIS fighters and suicide bombers.
Among her notable media appearances was an interview on the BBC Arabic program Dunyana in Beirut on September 19, 2018, where she shared her experience in detail, attracting significant international attention.
Layla also participated in numerous national and international conferences documenting ISIS crimes, including:
- The International Conference on Genocide at the University of Duhok (June 4–5, 2018).
- The Global Peace Festival held in Mosul on July 29, 2018.
Her peaceful advocacy earned her several international honors, including:
- Mother Teresa Peace and Social Justice Award, presented by the Harmony Foundation in Mumbai, India (October 21, 2018).
- Appointment as a Global Peace Ambassador by the World Human Rights Organization – Duhok Branch (December 9, 2018).
Layla also met numerous Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials. During her meeting with then Iraqi President Barham Salih in December 2019, she advocated for legislation supporting survivors. Based in part on recommendations made by Layla and other survivors, President Salih submitted the draft Ezidi Female Survivors Law, which was later enacted as Law No. 8 of 2021. The legislation formally recognized the atrocities committed against the Ezidis as genocide and provided survivors with financial compensation, monthly salaries, and additional legal protections.
Internationally, Layla participated in commemorative events marking the fifth anniversary of the Ezidi genocide in The Hague, where she described both the suffering endured during ISIS captivity and the difficult conditions faced by displaced Ezidis living in camps in the Kurdistan Region. She also participated in the Darfur Conference on Women and Genocide at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in September 2019.
Her story was later documented by her brother Khalid Taalo in the book Layla and the Nights of Pain, published in Arabic and subsequently translated into English and Kurdish, documenting both her captivity and her later work defending Ezidi survivors internationally.
3. Lamya Haji Bashar
Lamya Haji Bashar was captured alongside members of her family from Kocho. Together with her sister Katherine, she was sold several times and transferred between Tal Afar, Mosul, and Raqqa before eventually returning to Mosul, where an Iraqi physician in his fifties purchased her as a slave.
For approximately eighteen months, Lamya was forced to convert to Islam and practice Islamic rituals while living in captivity. In April 2016, she and her sister escaped after their captor left home, later contacting relatives and arranging their rescue through smugglers.
However, her suffering did not end there. During the escape route between ISIS-controlled territory and Kurdish forces near Kirkuk, Lamya and two other escaping women stepped on a landmine. The explosion killed both of her companions and left Lamya severely injured. She lost her left eye and suffered serious facial burns before eventually reaching Peshmerga positions and being reunited with her family in Erbil.
Despite these injuries, Lamya became an international advocate for Ezidi survivors. She joined Nadia Murad at the World Youth Forum in Egypt and spoke publicly about the genocide and the need to prosecute ISIS.
On October 26, 2016, Lamya and Nadia Murad jointly received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament. Since then, Lamya has continued promoting peace, religious tolerance, and accountability for ISIS crimes at both local and international events.
4. Farida Abbas Khalaf
Farida Abbas Khalaf is another prominent Ezidi survivor who transformed her experience into humanitarian activism. After escaping ISIS captivity, she established the Farida Global Organization, which supports displaced persons, Ezidi survivors, and women’s rights through both local and international advocacy.
During the Youth Forum for Peacebuilders in Bahrain, Farida introduced herself by recounting the attack on her home village of Kocho, where ISIS besieged the village for twelve days before gathering residents at the local school, separating men from women, confiscating their belongings, and demanding that they convert to Islam.
After the villagers refused, ISIS executed approximately 700 men, including her father and two brothers, before abducting the women and children and selling them in slave markets in Mosul and Raqqa.
Farida revealed that she attempted suicide four times during her captivity but survived each attempt. After eventually escaping and reaching displacement camps in the Kurdistan Region, she later traveled to Germany for medical treatment.
Rather than allowing her experiences to silence her, Farida adopted the slogan:
“I Am Stronger Than ISIS.”
She has spoken extensively about the experiences of Ezidi women and has become an internationally recognized advocate for justice. Her memoir, The Girl Who Beat ISIS, was first published in German and later translated into several languages, helping raise global awareness of the Ezidi genocide.
Farida has met numerous political leaders across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, including officials in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, and Bahrain. Together with other Ezidi survivors, she has played an important role in persuading national parliaments to recognize the ISIS campaign against the Ezidis as genocide.
According to the study, 19 countries had officially recognized the Ezidi genocide at the time of writing, with survivor advocacy playing a significant role in those recognitions.
Farida has also received several international honors. Among the most notable is the Goddess Is Strong Award, presented on March 26, 2020, by the Center for Justice and Accountability in the United States in recognition of her commitment to defending human rights, promoting justice, and supporting survivors of mass atrocities.
Conclusion
This study reached several important conclusions regarding the role of Ezidi female survivors in raising international awareness of ISIS crimes against the Ezidi community, crimes that have been recognized by numerous governments and European parliaments as constituting genocide under international legal standards. One of the study’s principal findings is that the support provided by various domestic and international actors enabled Ezidi survivors to play an influential role at both the local and global levels. Their return from ISIS captivity was welcomed with dignity, respect, and solidarity by the Ezidi community, particularly through the support of the late Ezidi Prince Tahseen Saeed Beg and Baba Sheikh Khurto Ismail, the Ezidi spiritual leader. Their official declaration affirming the unconditional acceptance of the survivors within the Ezidi community had a profound impact, providing the survivors with the moral support necessary to rebuild their lives, expose ISIS atrocities, and advocate for the prosecution of those responsible before international courts. Through their participation in major international conferences and meetings with world leaders and prominent political figures, the survivors succeeded in gaining significant international sympathy and recognition, reflected in the prestigious international awards they received as a symbolic form of moral and material acknowledgment of their suffering.
Furthermore, by courageously sharing their experiences of death, psychological and physical torture, sexual violence, and enslavement under ISIS with international and local media, as well as before European parliaments, and by pursuing legal action against ISIS members before international courts, Ezidi survivors played a crucial role in persuading governments, international organizations, and global institutions to adopt important resolutions recognizing ISIS crimes against the Ezidis as genocide. Their advocacy also strengthened international commitment to preventing the recurrence of such atrocities in the future. To date, 19 countries and international bodies have officially recognized the ISIS campaign against the Ezidis as genocide. These include the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, Australia, Scotland, Portugal, France, the European Parliament, Armenia, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, UNITAD (the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL), the United Nations Security Council, Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and Canada.
Recommendations
- States and Islamic religious authorities should adopt a firm and unequivocal position on the issue of the enslavement of women, explicitly prohibiting it both religiously and officially to ensure that tragedies such as those suffered by Ezidi women are never repeated.
- International and national efforts should be strengthened to bring perpetrators of crimes committed against the Ezidis, particularly members of ISIS, before international courts and ensure they are held accountable.
- The Ezidi Female Survivors Law No. (8) of 2021, enacted by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, should be fully implemented and supported as an essential mechanism for providing both material and moral reparations to Ezidi survivors.
References
1. The Holy Qur’an
- Surah An-Nisa’, Verses 3, 24, and 25.
- Surah An-Nur, Verse 32.
- Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 52.
2. Books
- Abu Yusuf, Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari. Al-Radd ‘ala Siyar al-Awza’i. Edited by Abu al-Wafa al-Afghani. Beirut: n.d., Vol. 1.
- Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Jabir. Futuh al-Buldan. Beirut, 1978.
- Domli, Khidr. Black Death: The Tragedy of Ezidi Women in ISIS Captivity. Duhok, 2017.
- Khalaf, Jalal Kharmash. The Ezidi Woman: Lines of Gold. Duhok, 2022.
- Murad, Nadia. The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity and My Fight Against the Islamic State. Foreword by Amal Clooney. Arabic translation by Nadine Nasrallah. 2019.
3. Academic Theses
- Madallal, Shadi Ibrahim Abdulqader. Captivity in Early Islam. Master’s Thesis, Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 2010.
4. Personal Interviews
- Haider Shesho, Commander of the Ezidkhan Forces affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Peshmerga, interview conducted in Duhok, 5 July 2022.
- Kaji Amo, survivor of the Kocho village massacre, interview conducted in Duhok, 3 December 2016.
- Amsha Khalaf Elias, interview conducted at Khanke Camp, 14 January 2015.
- Dunia Suleiman, Ezidi survivor from Tel Qasab village, interview conducted at Sharya Camp, 2 February 2015.
- Salwa Khalaf, interview conducted at Sharya Camp, 2 July 2016.
- Shamma Dero, mother of the martyr Jilan, who lost 30 members of her family, interview conducted in Duhok, 3 August 2022.
- Adam Bedar, Professor at Salahaddin University, interview conducted on 23 September 2020.
- Khalid Taalo Al-Qaidi, brother of survivor Layla Taalo, telephone interview conducted on 3 September 2023.
- Farida Abbas, Ezidi survivor, interview conducted at Khanke Camp, 1 August 2020.
5. Electronic Sources
- Jordanian Fatwa Department (2015).
https://www.aliftaa.jo - Egyptian Dar al-Ifta (2015).
https://www.dar-alifta.org/ar - Kurdistan/Iraq Union of Muslim Scholars (2015).
https://zanayan.org - Nadia Murad’s Address to the United Nations Security Council.
https://news.un.org/ar/story/2015/12/243212
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010828725436
- Address by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZZ_YKzg2lY - United Nations News – Nadia Murad Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
https://news.un.org/ar/audio/2018/10/1018742 - Nadia Murad’s Meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2-SdJpPHTw - Nadia Murad’s First Meeting with Pope Francis.
https://iraqnewspaper.net/بابا-الفاتيكان-يلتقي-نادية-مراد/ - Nadia Murad Receives an Honorary Doctorate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsswE5Ys1Zk
https://ezidi24.com/ar/?p=10978
https://n.annabaa.org/iraq/46337
- Al-Naba News Agency.
- Farida Abbas’s Speech at the Bahrain Peace Conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfTn8BP5ios - Ezidi Female Survivors Law No. (8) of 2021, Iraqi Gazette, Issue No. 4621, 2021.
https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4621.pdf