30/06/2026
“I am a Yezidi woman originally from Iraq. My family fled from the Saddam Hussein regime when I was two years old. We traveled by foot from Iraq to Turkey, through the mountains. I do not remember those details, since I was very young. We lived in a refugee camp in Turkey for one year, and then we were brought to the Netherlands as political refugees. I value the culture and education that I have from my community, the Yezidis, and also Dutch values and education, although it was challenging for me and my family to settle as refugees in a foreign country.
Our family benefited from being refugees in the Netherlands in many ways. Most importantly, we were safe from the threat of violence. Secondly, we benefited from education, which has allowed me to speak several languages and interact with more people than I would have been able to if I always lived in Iraq. Thirdly, it gave us a chance to contribute to our community back in Iraq from a place of safety and less political pressure.
While resettlement had many benefits, I would say that I and my family did experience some discrimination as refugees and foreigners. In some ways, such as being a student in school or looking for work, we felt like outsiders, and that was a challenge.
I believe education is a primary need, aside from food and shelter, for smaller or vulnerable communities. With education, doors are open, and without it, life is extremely hard to navigate. Our people in Iraq have always been on the outside, denied the basic education and higher education opportunities available to others. Having a good education has changed my life and, I am sure, the lives of many other refugees.
The right to freedom of religion is the most important right for us, as Yezidis. Since we are not Muslim, we have been attacked constantly for many centuries by every group that held power in our part of the world. Many people, not only ISIS, want us to be eliminated and do not believe we should exist or have any rights. But freedom of religion cannot be for one group or another. It has to be for everyone.
Justice is also a top priority for me, personally, because of some of my experiences. It is important that everyone, especially women and girls, are fairly considered in any justice system. For the Yezidi community, the absence of justice is just unacceptable. After the worst crime, genocide, was committed against our people, we cannot accept moving forward without meaningful accountability. That means justice in courts, prison sentences, and a transitional justice plan that actually means something to Yezidis.
Refugee resettlement is different than just seeking work or a better life. In our experience, we were very much aware of serious threats to safety. And indeed, several times since we left, our people have suffered horrible violence. In 2007, Al-Qaeda killed many hundreds of Yezidis in a truck bombing. In 2014, ISIS killed thousands of men and older women, and they abducted more than 6,000 women and children, who were then enslaved and suffered unimaginable brutality. During the Saddam Hussein era, Yezidis suffered in different ways. So when people are fleeing for their safety, it is not a matter of wanting free services from other countries. It is many times a matter of life and death.”
These are the words of Pari Ibrahim, Executive Director of the Free Yezidi Foundation.
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