19/10/2025
Self-Conception of the KED – Congress of Ezidis in the Diaspora
The Ezidis are one of the oldest surviving religious communities of humankind. Their history, culture, and religion are deeply rooted in the civilizations of Mesopotamia.
Throughout their long history, the Ezidis have repeatedly faced persecution, displacement, and genocide. The most recent genocide in Shingal confronts the community with a crucial societal challenge of far-reaching consequences. The tragedy of our people has not ended—it continues. Therefore, we all share a responsibility to seek and find fundamental and sustainable solutions to prevent further division and to ensure the survival of our community. An essential step in this process is the courage to initiate structural renewal and institutionalization, in the spirit of our time and for the preservation of our faith.
The Ezidi faith is founded on the principles of purity, respect for nature, and the dignity and sanctity of all life. It affirms the unity of God, peace, humanity, and respect for all religions and cultures.
Although these experiences have profoundly shaken the community, they have also strengthened its awareness of self-assertion, dialogue, and renewal.
The Congress of Ezidis in the Diaspora (KED) understands itself as a response to the challenges of the present. It stands in the spirit of the Phoenix—a symbol of renewal, rebirth, and immortality. Light and the solar circle embody the eternal cycle of creation and decay, the continuity of life, and the belief in the immortal soul.
Out of responsibility toward history, the victims of past violence, and future generations, the KED commits itself to the universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality, justice, and humanity. It affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the fundamental principles of democracy, pluralism, and peaceful coexistence.
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Guidelines and Objectives of the KED
• Replacement of oral traditions and arbitrary decisions with written, institutionalized decision-making processes based on statutes and rules of procedure.
• Overcoming the commercialization and instrumentalization of religion and sacred sites in favor of the entire faith community.
• Promotion of contemporary institutionalization and professionalization at all levels of the community.
• Development and networking of a functional, independent Ezidi economy.
• Establishment of a World Ezidi Congress to represent the interests of all Ezidis worldwide.
• Development of a common Ezidi discourse based on human rights, to clearly and convincingly articulate the community’s concerns.
• Permanent inclusion of the Ezidi question on the agenda of transnational and regional institutions (UN Human Rights Council, International Criminal Court, European Parliament, Council of Europe, national parliaments).
• Activation and systematization of political and legal presence through the creation of effective structures and networks.
• Anchoring the core principles of equality, tolerance, and openness in all leadership structures—including spiritual and religious ones—through fair representation and broad participation, particularly of women and youth.
• Establishment of an independent religious authority to protect against political influence and to preserve credibility.
• Drafting of a binding code of conduct to regulate internal structures, workflows, accountability, and transparency.
• Foundation of a scientific institute for Ezidi Studies and Theology in both the homeland and the diaspora, as well as the establishment of a documentation center.
• Promotion of education, sports, qualification, and empowerment programs to secure the future and train future leaders.
• Advocacy for the official recognition of the Ezidi religion in all European countries, ideally as a public-law corporation.
• Recognition of Shingal as an autonomous administrative unit with special status to safeguard the rights and identity of the Ezidis; reconstruction and restoration of justice in the destroyed regions; and support for the safe and voluntary return of the displaced.
• Preparation of an international reconstruction conference for Shingal and the establishment of an internationally supervised relief fund.
KED – Congress of Ezidis in the Diaspora (Kongresa Ezdîyên Dîaspora)
