Khairy Bouzani, head of the Yezidi affairs at Kurdistan Regional Government’s endowment ministry, told Rudaw that the Baba Sheikh passed away at a hospital in Erbil on Thursday, noting that his loss leaves big shoes to fill in the Yezidi community. Director of Yazidi affairs in Dohuk Jafar Samou also confirmed the death.
The religious leader was hospitalized on Tuesday for deteriorating kidney and heart issues, according to Samou.
Yezidi activist Murad Ismael remembers Baba Sheikh as someone who “reconciled” Yezidis at times of differences.
You were our father and we were your children, you loved us & we loved you back, you shed tears on us in times of hardship, you celebrated with us in times of happiness, you reconciled us in times of our differences, & you did the duties of your sacred position. RIP Baba Shex. pic.twitter.com/iu6NbnvpEq
— Murad Ismael (@murad_ismael) October 1, 2020
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani expressed his condolences over the death of the leader in a statement late Thursday, saying "Baba Sheikh was a renowned and important figure in the Kurdistan Region and the world. He played a significant role in promoting religious coexistence in the Kurdistan Region."
