Chris Dunker – Aug 1, 2024 – Lincoln Journal Star

It’s been 10 years since militants with the so-called Islamic State tore through northern Iraq, launching a brutal genocide against the Yazidi people.

Thousands were killed in the attacks, while thousands more were captured and enslaved by the Islamic militants. As many as 2,700 Yazidi women remain in captivity to this day.

And thousands more fled the Sinjar region of Iraq to refugee camps in neighboring countries, or in many cases, abroad to countries that offered help.

Lincoln’s Yazidi community will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the start of the genocide on Saturday with an event at the Eiseley Public Library.

The public event, which will feature a candle lighting and presentation from Ezzat Haider, runs from 1-4 p.m., organizer Hadi Pir said.

The commemoration will also include a screening of a new documentary film about the 2014 Yazidi genocide and its aftermath.

The documentary, “10 Years On: The Yazidi Genocide,” is part of a broader project called “Faces of Persecution” distributed by Java Films.

The series of standalone films examines religious persecution and other forms of discrimination that lead to violence around the world, said Jackie Abramian, a writer and producer on the film.

“What we tried to do is really shed light on some of the modern day genocides and religious persecution the mainstream media often reports and then forgets,” Abramian said in a phone interview.

“10 Years On” focuses on the harrowing experiences of two Yazidi girls.

Hala Safil was sold as a sex slave by ISIS at the age of 16 and later escaped captivity. The film charts her attempts to rebuild her life in a crowded camp for internally displaced persons in Iraq.

It also shines a light on Faiza Qasim, who was 10 years old when she, her mother and younger brothers were enslaved by ISIS. They later fled to Canada, where Qasim cares for her ailing mother.

Abramian said the women went through “unspeakable and unimaginable atrocities.”

“They survived and they are willing to be the voice for the voiceless,” she said.

The filmmakers also wanted to show who the Yazidis are and why they were targeted by ISIS for their religious beliefs, while also furthering understanding on how ISIS peeled away from mainstream Muslim beliefs.

Director Bared Moranian said “10 Years On” is one of several modern-day genocides the documentary team hopes to shed more light on through the “Faces of Persecution” series.

Other planned films in the series will focus on the 2023 military assault on ethnic Armenians by the Azerbaijani government, as well as attacks on Christians by Islamic jihadists in Nigeria.

Moranian said the events that become recognized as genocides often start with one group being seen as “the other” by a majority group in power. What starts as a misunderstanding often turns into hate, and from the hate comes physical attacks, massacres and eventually genocides, he added.

“It’s always the religious minority that gets the brunt of the hatred,” Moranian said. “Some for political reasons, some for economic reasons, or religious hatred. The other group will be attacked.”

Both filmmakers said they also wanted to draw attention to the struggle minority populations like the Yazidis face long after attention on their plight fades.

Moranian said tens of thousands of Yazidis remain “stuck in a stagnant situation” in refugee camps in Iraq, unable to return to their villages or rebuild their homes or locate missing relatives.

Abramian said the film also serves as a call to action to viewers to be mindful of the ongoing genocides around the world.

“We really hope that our documentary will help people understand and take action to advocate for religious freedoms,” she said.

Pir said while the documentary screening is open to all, the film might not be suitable for children due to its subject matter.

Lincoln’s Yazidis, the largest population in the world of the religious minority that predates Christianity or Islam, will also host a gathering at the Yazidi Community Cemetery at 7610 NW 112th St. near Malcolm on Saturday.

The memorial is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.