The Yazidis

When I was a shaliach to the Betar Zionist youth movement in England during 1975-1977, I was asked by the University division if I had a talk which could be presented to UK students and I said sure.

It was entitled "Arab Nationalism" and didn't mention Israel or Zionism until the last sentence.

It's rational was that in most of the Middle East, non-Arab and non-Muslim minorities are in danger. Arab enmity has little to do with supposed Zionist 'crimes'. Many other minorities suffer as well: Assyrians, Copts, Berbers, Sudanese Christians and many others. I researched my material mainly from Israeli "Canaanite" ideology of Yonatan Ratosh and especially AG Horon (see also "Homeland or Holy Land? The "Canaanite" Critique of Israel" by James S. Diamond with this and this article).

Well, 30 years later, this pops up, confirming my presentation:-

Yazidis fear annihilation after Iraq bombings
Ethnic minority fears more attacks.

Angry members of a minority sect in Iraq said on Thursday they feared annihilation after scores were killed in possibly the worst suicide bomb attack of the four-year conflict.

Estimates of the death toll varied from 175 to 500.

"Their aim is to annihilate us, to create trouble and kill all the Yazidis because we are not Muslims," said Abu Saeed, a grey-bearded old man in Kahtaniya.

..."Al Qaeda wants to kill all the Yazidis," said another Kahtaniya villager, who gave his name only as Hossein. "Another bomb like this and there will be no more Yazidis left."

Yazidis are members of a pre-Islamic Kurdish sect of several hundred thousand in northern Iraq and Syria who say they are persecuted for their beliefs.