Sheikhan massacre
| Sheikhan massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Khatarah and Shekhan (Ain Sifni), Ottoman Empire (now Northern Iraq) |
| Date | 1832 |
| Attack type | Massacre, forced occupation |
| Deaths | Unknown, many Yazidis killed |
Sheikhan massacre
In 1832, Muhammad Pasha of Soran led a violent campaign against the Yazidi population in the region. His forces massacred many Yazidis in Khatarah and later attacked Shekhan (Ain Sifni), killing a significant number of civilians.[1] The campaign extended further with the occupation of over 300 Yazidi villages, resulting in widespread displacement and suffering.[2]
Aftermath
The Sheikhan massacre significantly weakened the Yazidi community's presence and autonomy in the region. The brutality of Muhammad Pasha's campaign instilled fear and disrupted the social fabric of Yazidi society.[3] Despite Ottoman nominal sovereignty, local Kurdish emirates like Soran exercised substantial independent military and political power.[4]
The massacre and occupation contributed to long-standing tensions between Kurdish authorities and Yazidi communities, influencing intercommunal relations for decades.[5]
Legacy
The Sheikhan massacre remains a painful chapter in Yazidi history, symbolizing vulnerability and persecution faced by the community in the 19th century.[6] It exemplifies the broader struggles of minority communities under Ottoman-era Kurdish emirates and highlights the complex dynamics of power, ethnicity, and religion in the region.[7]
In modern Yazidi memory, the events of 1832 underscore the historical context for later genocides and the community’s ongoing quest for recognition and protection.[8] The massacre has been the subject of recent academic studies and human rights discourse.[9]
References
- ↑ Jwaideh, Wadie (2006). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780815630937.
- ↑ Jwaideh, Wadie (2006). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780815630937.
- ↑ Bruinessen, Martin van (1992). Agha, Shaikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan. Zed Books. p. 181. ISBN 978-0862323976.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ↑ Gunter, Michael M. (1991). The Kurds and Kurdish Nationalism. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 45.
- ↑ Omarkhali, Khanna (2017). "The Yezidi Religious Textual Tradition: From Oral to Written". Journal of Kurdish Studies. 5: 45–69.
- ↑ Guest, John S. (1993). The Yezidis: A Study in Survival. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-0415072634.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ↑ Spencer, Melanie (1990). Between Resistance and Submission: The Yezidis and Their Muslim Neighbors in Sinjar, 1914–1935. Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 22.
- ↑ Kreyenbroek, Philip G. (1995). Yezidism: Its Background, Observances and Textual Tradition. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 49. ISBN 978-9004107367.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ↑ Omarkhali, Khanna (2019). "The Yezidis and Their Kurdish Neighbors: A Century of Conflict and Coexistence". Middle East Journal 73 (3): 349–366.