Changing Practice and Introducing Belief: Ezidi Religious and Cultural Transformations Around Food in the Aftermath of the Sinjar Genocide

The Ezidi (Yezidi) religion is one of orthopraxy; behaviour matters more than belief. One does not need to believe the reasons or stories related to behaviour, one can simple behave accordingly and that makes one a ‘good’ Ezidi. Within this religiously-inspired cultural behaviour is a slew of prohibitions regarding food. One of the ‘markers’ most often mentioned by outsiders, prohibitions have been noted against beans, bone marrow, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cockerel, cucumber, fish, gazelle, lettuce, peas, pork, pumpkin, squash, and even the blanket category of ‘meat’. This list, however, does not reflect the real, day-to-day behaviour of Ezidis in regard to sustenance. Certain prohibitions seem much stronger than others (e.g., lettuce) while others are ignored if not completely forgotten (e.g., fish). However, there is change occurring.

In 2014, Iraqi Ezidis were the targets of a genocidal campaign conducted by Daesh (the Islamic State). As the reasons given by Daesh were always religion-based, this affected the self-perception and -conceptualisation of those Ezidis who survived. Certain aspects of Daesh’s religion-inspired relationship with foods (e.g., the prohibition on pork or on alcohol) has since affected Ezidis (re-)formations of self and self-identity. In this paper I look at the transformation of Ezidi religio-cultural behavioural prohibitions regarding food in relation to Ezidis’ treatment by Daesh.

Aside from the behavioural change currently happening, a second change is occurring, one quite unusual to Ezidi society. As mentioned above, belief does not play a major role in ‘being’ a ‘good’ Ezidi. Ezidi food prohibitions are followed without the need to. However, due to the new behaviours relating directly to treatment by Daesh, Ezidis are now proffering reasons in the form of beliefs as to why some prohibitions are strengthening while others are disappearing. This injection of belief into the Ezidi orthoprax system is both unusual and, possibly, unprecedented.