Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Muslim Scholars Association blames Shiite death squads for deaths of Yazidis
Security, Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Muslim Scholars Association issued a statement on its website on April 23 blaming Shi'ite death squads for the killing of 23 members of the Yazidi religious minority in Mosul on April 22. "While condemning this horrendous crime, the Muslim Scholars Association draws attention of all our sons in Iraq, and in the city of Mosul in particular, to the fact that these crimes were committed by the death squads that operate under the supervision of the occupiers and their agents, the militia leaders. The aim is to fuel religious and ethnic strife based on a plan specifically drawn up for this purpose," the statement said.
Local police officials said unknown gunmen stopped a bus carrying workers back from a textile factory near Mosul, separated the Yazidis from the others, and killed them execution-style on the side of the road. Yazidis are ethnic Kurds who practice a syncretistic pre-Islamic religion that worships an archangel figure named Malak Taus, often represented as a peacock. Some Muslims and Christians consider Malak Taus to be the devil. There are an estimated 500,000 Yazidis remaining in Iraq.
Labels: Mosul, Muslim Scholars Association, Shiite death squads, Yezidis
