Shingal (Sinjar) faced a brutal massacre on August 3, 2014. That massacre became a deep wound whose pain and suffering is in the hearts and souls of all Kurds and Kurdistanis, especially the Yezidi Kurds, and will never be forgotten. Even now, the fate of thousands of women and girls of Shingal is unknown and the people of the region have not been able to re-start a normal life.
After occupying Mosul in July 2014, ISIS terrorists started mass killing and inhuman oppression. Thousands of Yezidi Kurds were arrested, killed, injured and kidnapped. Hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their homes and took refuge in the mountains of Shingal. Many of them lost their lives in the summer heat without water, food, and shelter. Those who did not got to safety, fell into the hands of Islamic terrorists. The terrorists killed thousands of male adults and children, and kidnapped thousands of girls and women, and sold them into slavery in the markets of Mosul and Raqqa.
Yezidism is one of the oldest religions of the Kurds and has existed for thousands of years. Throughout history, the Yezidi Kurds have faced genocide continuously due to their religious beliefs.
ISIS would never have reached that level and strength without the help of the occupying countries of Kurdistan and the Islamic extremist groups. Those countries acted against the Kurds by providing weapons and explosives, military training, and financial support.
Islamic extremists are not only a threat to the Kurds. They are against all people who believe in equality, democracy, and human values. ISIS is a great threat to freedom, peace, democracy, and all human values. Because of that, it is necessary for all who want to protect the mentioned values to stand together against them.
We strongly condemn the massacre in Shingal and send a message of sympathy and support to the families of the victims of mass destruction. We appeal to the international community, civil organizations, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the humanity in general to help and support the Yezidi Kurdish community so that life in Shingal and other areas affected by the mass destruction can once again return to normal. We appeal all relevant bodies to make more efforts to release Yezidi women and girls who are treated as slaves by ISIS. We ask for the parties involved and all humanity to stand against jihadist and violent groups with all their might and not allow such a genocide to happen again.
Kurdish Diaspora Confederation – Diakurd
August 3rd, 2022
