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Iraqi Kurd Clan Leaders Work to Ease
Tensions
20.2.2007
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February
20, 2007
Sheikhan, Northern-Iraq, February 19, --
Iraq's northern Kurdistan region has been relatively
free of the sectarian fighting that has crippled the
rest of the country, but a rare attack by Sunni
Kurds on a religious group called the has local
leaders working to ease tensions. VOA's Barry
Newhouse attended a meeting of Kurdish religious and
clan chiefs in a village north of Mosul, and has
this report.
The problems started last week in the village of
Sheikhan, when, villagers say, a Sunni Kurdish woman
in a domestic dispute left her home and got into a
car with two Yazidi men. She was later killed by her
family for dishonoring them.
The two Yazidi men went into hiding, and, villagers
say, a mob of Sunni Kurds burned down several Yazidi
buildings and homes. Some of the burning buildings
were captured on cell phone video. Villagers say
armed men then surrounded the home of the Yazidi
spiritual leader, Prince Tahsin Sayid Beg, and fired
dozens of rounds into the house, which is still
pock-marked with bullet holes. No one was hurt.
Mamo Osman is a Yazidi official in the Kurdistan
Regional Government. He says the attack against the
spiritual leader of some 500,000 Yazidis was a
serious incident.
"Yazidis regard this attack against the family of
the prince as an attack against all Yazidis," said
Mamo Osman.
The prince immediately called for his followers not
to seek retribution.
"I say, 'do not shoot any person," he said. "Stay in
your house, and do not fight.' If I did not talk,
maybe now two or 300 people would have been killed."
The Kurdish government quickly sent soldiers in to
keep the peace and rounded up some local security
officials believed to have been involved in the
incident. Officials have vowed the attack will be
handled under the law.
On Monday, Prince Tahsin met with Sunni Kurdish clan
leaders in his bullet-damaged home to discuss the
incident, and what can be done to prevent further
violence.
Gelan Mizuri is the leader of the Sunni Kurdish
Mizuri clan. Taking a break from the meeting, he
said some of his clan members were involved in the
attack.
He says the attack was not premeditated. But, he
says, there are some extremist groups trying to
stoke regional and ethnic tensions to prevent this
part of Iraq from staying peaceful.
Mizuri says that, with Prince Tahsin's appeals for
peace, and the presence of Kurdish security forces,
he thinks there will not be further violence.
But the village of Sheikhan is only about 50
kilometers from Mosul, where near daily sectarian
killings have caused many Iraqis to flee their
homes. Prince Tahsin says, there are some extremist
Muslim leaders in Mosul, who are trying to increase
tensions.
"Some mullahs in Mosul, some mullahs in Kurdistan
they do that - they say you should go kill the
Yazidi," said Prince Tahsin.
The Yazidi religion is one of the oldest in the
world. Scholars date it to well before Islam and
Christianity. And, while the three religions have
co-existed relatively peacefully in this part of
Iraq in recent years, that has not always been the
case.
Mamo Osman, the Yazidi official in the regional
government, says Yazidis were massacred by Muslims
about 100 years ago, partly because of the
perception that the Yazidi religious practices were
heretical.
"A lot of people - the fanatical - those are the
people who regard the Yazidi as devil-worshippers,
that they should be converted to Islam, because they
do not believe in the real God," he said. "After
more than 100 years, the same attitudes are
appearing on the surface."
But Mamo Osman says that, despite the recent
problems, he believes this incident will be a
turning point for the Kurdish government in
enforcing law and order. He says Yazidi and Muslim
Kurds are represented in the regional government,
and should be able to co-exist peacefully.
voanews com
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