Epress.am News from Armenia
Holy Trinity Church priest Father Yessayi Artenian's controversial commentary on Yazidi religion has been removed from Qahana.am’s FAQ page following complaints from representatives of Armenia’s Yazidi community and human rights NGOs.
Center for Interethnic and Intercultural Cooperation NGO Head Sashik Sultanyan, in particular, had called upon Father Yessayi to issue a public apology to the Yazidi people for calling them “sun-worshipers” and claiming that “there is a statue of Satan in Yazidi holy places.” Meanwhile, Sinjar Yazidi National Union Head Boris Murazi today called the priest’s commentary “ignorant” and “discriminatory” towards Yazidis, urging Armenian Catholicos Karekin II to “keep [the clergy member] in check in order to prevent such discrimination in the future.”
The newly edited answer provides more accurate details about Yazidi identity, stating that “Yazidis are monotheists, and their religion is called Sharfadin.”
“Yazidis also believe in Archangel Tawsi Melek, while the sun is one of the symbols of their belief system and represents the angel Shams. There are no evil entities in Yazidis’ religion; both the good and the evil come from the man, and there’s no higher power than God.”
A Yazidi woman/man, according to the answer, would have to convert to Christianity if she/he would want to get married to an Armenian man/woman, while other nationals cannot convert to Sharfadin since “it is for ethnic Yazidis only.” “The Yazidis’ religion also forbids them to marry representatives of other nations.”
Epress.am reached out to Boris Murazi for a comment on the changes who said “there are no inaccuracies in this particular wording.”
Note, the English version of the page remains unchanged.