Musing

Musing

I recently read a story in the Guardian about the Yazidi people. The Yazidis live on the edge of Iraq, and have been a target for ISIS because their brand of Islam isn’t pure enough.

The story in the Guardian, like many of the recent stories from this area, is bleak and horrific. ISIS take over a village, kill the men, and sell the women into slavery. The story follows the life of one woman, Nour, as she is sold to be wife to a series of ISIS fighters, until finally she is bought at the slave market (with her children) by a Yazidi purchasing his people back. Wow! The horror isn’t over yet though…

As she heads back to her home town, Nour is aware that the Yazidi faith has a long-standing tradition that if you’re married outside the faith, then you are rejected by the community, even to the point of so-called honour killing.

At last, a glimmer of grace: the 80 year old patriarch decides that this particular tradition shouldn’t apply, and he creates a cleansing ceremony similar to baptism where Nour and others can be released from their past.

I was struck by the example of grace in this story. I know that any sort of human decency would welcome these women back with open arms, but we’re talking about a patriarchal religion with long traditions and quite different values. So, for an 80 year old bloke to change a tradition is profound. And, not only allowing these women to live, but also to try and welcome and heal and integrate them back – Fantastic.

May God continue to move in this part of the world that needs it so much.

You can read the original story here.

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