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SHINGAL, Iraq — A Yazidi holy shrine on Mount Shingal blown up by the Islamic State (ISIS) group in August 2014 was reopened on Tuesday in a special religious ceremony following reconstruction.
"We pray to God for a safe return of the Yazidis to Shingal. We hope that Shingal is rehabilitated. We pray for peace across the world," Yazidi spiritual figure Baba Chawish told Rudaw on Tuesday upon the reopening of the Sheikh Mand shrine.
Of 28 Yazidi shrines situated on Mount Shingal, eight of them were destroyed by ISIS. The bulk of the exploded shrines are located on the southern part of the mountain.
With support and funding from the Nadia's Initiative, Nabu Organization, Sheikh Mand shrine has been rebuilt.
"The reconstruction of another shrine, Sheikh Hassan located on Mount Shingal near the Gabara village has nearly finished," Salah Hassan, head of the Nadia's Initiative organization in Iraq told Rudaw. "God willing, in the near future, its work will be completed."
Nadia’s Initiative is a non-profit organization founded by Yezidi genocide survivor and Nobel peace laureate Nadia Murad in 2016 to advocate for the Yezidi community and victims of sexual violence.
"Our efforts will continue to rehabilitate other sectors in Shingal, not just the religious sites. We will serve the people of Shingal," Hassan added.
ISIS attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in Nineveh province on August 3, 2014, killing and enslaving members of the ethnoreligious group.
Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis sought refuge on nearby Mount Shingal.
ISIS persecution of Yazidis has led to the exodus of an estimated 100,000 of Iraq’s 500,000 Yezidis, while another 360,000 remain internally displaced.
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