ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The newly-appointed Yazidi spiritual leader Sheikh Ali Ilyas was sworn in at Lalish Temple on Wednesday despite protests against his appointment from some Yazidis, including key commanders and religious figures.
Sheikh Ilyas was appointed as Baba Sheikh – a title given to the Yazidi supreme spiritual leader – by the Yazidi community leader Mir Hazim Tahsin Bag on Saturday, more than one month after the death of his predecessor Khurto Hajji Ismail.
The new Baba Sheikh was inaugurated during a religious ceremony at the holy temple of Lalish on Wednesday, attended by some 5,000 Yazidis from different parts of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Sheikh Ilyas was born in Duhok province’s Shekhan in 1979. His father served as the spiritual leader from 1978 to 1995.
However, some Yazidis – including military commanders and religious figures – have spoken out against the appointment of the new spiritual leader, saying they were not consulted.
Sheikh Shamo, head of Lalish Temple’s High Committee, told Rudaw on Saturday that “the subject should not be politicized,” calling on the whole Yazidi community to respect the decision “because the Mir’s decisions cannot be invalidated.”
A group of Yazidis in Shingal – the heartland of the long-persecuted community – have refused to recognize the new spiritual leader, saying their opinion had been ignored.
“We do not have any problem with anyone elected as the new spiritual leader and we congratulate and respect them, but if they do not listen to the Shingalis on this matter and do not consider our opinion, we will not accept their election either,” said Sheikh Salih, the son of a temple leader.
Top Shingal Peshmerga commander Qassim Shasho resigned from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Peshmerga forces earlier this week over the decision, which some say is politicized.
The appointment of Mir Hazim in July also drew controversy, with some claiming that his mother is not from the Mir bloodline and that he was put into the post with political backing.
Baba Sheikh Ali Ilyas told Rudaw after his inauguration that he will prioritize the return of thousands of Yazidis kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.
He said the kidnapped women are “holy” and “I will carry their message wherever I go.”
His predecessor made an unprecedented decision to welcome back women and girls taken as sexual slaves by ISIS, welcoming them back into a community that traditionally forbids sexual relations with non-Yazidis.
Some responsibilities of the spiritual leader include attending all religious events, fasting in the first 40 days of winter and summer and visiting each Yazidi village at least once a year.
Additional reporting by Ayub Nasri
