Faith and Blood: Sacred Violence and Systematic Marginalization: An Analysis of the Persecution of Yazidis through Religious, Structural, and Psychological Lenses

Sammanfattning

This master's thesis analyzes the persecution of the Yazidis through religious, structural, and psychological lenses, with the 2014 genocide by the Islamic State (ISIL) as a central focus. The study highlights how religious narratives, institutional injustices and dehumanization interact to legitimize violence against this minority. Through a historical and contemporary review of sources, it shows how Yazidis have been repeatedly demonized as "devil worshippers" - a stigmatization with roots in early Islamic tradition. The results show that the Yazidis' vulnerability constitutes a cyclical spiral of violence, reinforced by global passivity and legal neglect. The thesis contributes with in-depth insights into the mechanisms behind minority persecution and proposes political and legal reforms to address the ideological causes and strengthen Yazidis' rights.