ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region Presidency on Friday condemned hate speech from some social media users after a Yazidi commander’s remark about Prophet Mohammed drew the ire of Muslims.
“In recent days, there has been an increasing reaction on social media platforms to an inappropriate remark by a Yazidi figure. We emphasize that any violation and disrespect against any belief or religion is not acceptable and we condemn it,” the presidency said in a statement.
Qassim Shasho, a Yazidi commander of Peshmerga forces, was heard saying in a viral video that the sufferings of Yazidis will not end as long as Islam exists.
"We should not say orders have ended. Orders will not end as long as we live. I am responsible for what I am saying, as long as Mohammed [referring to Islam] exists, orders against us will not end. They are the enemies of our religion,” he said.
The term "order," or "farman" in Kurdish, is used by Yazidis to describe the disasters and genocides that they have experienced. Yazidi history says that the minority has suffered 73 genocides, most recently at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS), which seized large areas in Iraq and Syria in 2014. In the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in northern Iraq, the group killed about 5,000 Yazidi men and older women, burying some in mass graves, and enslaved nearly 7,000 women and children.
Shasho’s statement elicited both hate speech and criticism as well as support. The commander subsequently confirmed the authenticity of the video but denied he meant any disrespect of the Islamic faith.
The Kurdish presidency urged tolerance.
“The mistake of one person, regardless of their religion, should not be considered the mistake of all followers of that religion. Therefore, everyone must adhere to a culture of mutual acceptance, tolerance and coexistence,” the statement read. “We assure everyone that the Kurdistan Region will forever remain an example of peaceful coexistence and brotherhood.”
The Iraqi government reacted by forming a committee to “combat hate speech,” according to Khalaf Sinjari, advisor to the prime minister for Yazidi Affairs. The committee will include Shiite, Sunni, and Yazidi representatives, as well as federal officials.
With a surge of hate speech online, there have been reports that hundreds of Yazidis fled the Kurdistan Region, where they had sought safety from ISIS, and returned to their hometown of Shingal because of threats to their lives.
“According to Yazidi NGOs working on-site in Sinjar [Shingal], between 370 to 700 families have left their tents in the IDP camps in the Kurdistan region and rushed to Sinjar since this morning, leaving most of their belongings behind,” Murad Ismail, a Yazidi activist, said on Friday.
“It’s astonishing that when a Yazidi says something wrong (or is perceived to have done so), it becomes a pretext to attack all Yazidis and their faith. What’s staggering is the complete lack of governmental or judicial response, as if this targeting is acceptable,” he added.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) interior ministry’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC), which operates the camps, said in a statement on Friday that it “categorically denies” reports that people were leaving a camp in Zakho, Duhok province and returning to Shingal.
“We assure all residents of camps that the Kurdistan Region will always remain as the cradle of coexistence,” the JCC added.
Yazda organization, which advocates for Yazidis and provides services for genocide survivors, said on Thursday that it was “concerned about the ongoing hate speech and online violence against Yazidis, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide.”
“Yazidis have reached out to Yazda, fearing imminent attacks. We urge national and international actors to prioritize safety. The Iraqi government and KRG must address the root causes of the Yazidi genocide and ensure it never happens again,” it added.
A Nineveh court issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Shasho on charges of blasphemy. The specific charge is “insulting Muhammad (PBUH), the Prophet of Islam, and inciting religious conflict.”
Shasho’s nephew said the situation has been exaggerated. "This issue, despite our clarifications, has been greatly exaggerated. The intention is to confuse matters, which is why supporters of ISIS are taking advantage of it," Haidar Shasho told Rudaw on Thursday.
