Pope Francis vows to help Yazidis during meeting with leader
VATICAN CITY, Vatican - Upon an official invitation, Yazidi Leader Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Monday to discuss international efforts to pressure the Iraqi government to pave the way for the return of people who have fled their homes due to the Islamic State (ISIS) attack.
In a meeting that lasted 40 minutes, Mir Hazim and his wife Mayan Khairy Saeed Beg briefed Pope Francis about the current situation of Yazidis in displacement and exile, Shingal, and the Kurdistan Region.
"We will do our best and spare no efforts to assist you," Mir Hazim quoted Pope Francis as saying during their gathering.
"We will put pressure on the international community and they will put pressure on Iraq in order to resolve the problems of Shingal," Mir Hazim continued to quote Pope Francis as saying.
ISIS attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in 2014, killing and kidnapping thousands of people. Thousands of others fled to the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria (Rojava).
A large number of Yazidis who were held hostage by ISIS have been rescued - thanks to an office established by the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
Hazim Tahsin Beg, the eldest son of the late Yezidi Mir Tahsin Beg, was appointed chief of the Yezidi community in late July 2019. Mir Tahsin passed away at a Hanover hospital in Germany in January.
Poverty, instability, and unemployment have driven a large number of Yazidis to take illegal and dangerous routes to Europe in recent months
There are currently plenty of Yazidis stranded in Greece with the numbers keep getting higher.
Greece is a key route used by refugees and migrants as an entry point into the European Union.
The lack of job opportunities and security are the main reasons driving civilians to leave Shingal, a Yazidi migrant stuck in Greek territories said.
More than 4,300 Yazidis migrated out of Shingal and Duhok camps between August and September, Sherzad Pirmusa, head of the Duhok-based Alind Organization for Youth Democratization said at the beginning of September.
For her part, the wife of the Yazidi leader, Mayan Khairy said Pope Francis vowed to follow up on the fate of Yazidis stranded in Greece and Turkey and living in misery.
In a meeting that lasted 40 minutes, Mir Hazim and his wife Mayan Khairy Saeed Beg briefed Pope Francis about the current situation of Yazidis in displacement and exile, Shingal, and the Kurdistan Region.
"We will do our best and spare no efforts to assist you," Mir Hazim quoted Pope Francis as saying during their gathering.
"We will put pressure on the international community and they will put pressure on Iraq in order to resolve the problems of Shingal," Mir Hazim continued to quote Pope Francis as saying.
ISIS attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in 2014, killing and kidnapping thousands of people. Thousands of others fled to the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria (Rojava).
A large number of Yazidis who were held hostage by ISIS have been rescued - thanks to an office established by the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
Hazim Tahsin Beg, the eldest son of the late Yezidi Mir Tahsin Beg, was appointed chief of the Yezidi community in late July 2019. Mir Tahsin passed away at a Hanover hospital in Germany in January.
Poverty, instability, and unemployment have driven a large number of Yazidis to take illegal and dangerous routes to Europe in recent months
There are currently plenty of Yazidis stranded in Greece with the numbers keep getting higher.
Greece is a key route used by refugees and migrants as an entry point into the European Union.
The lack of job opportunities and security are the main reasons driving civilians to leave Shingal, a Yazidi migrant stuck in Greek territories said.
More than 4,300 Yazidis migrated out of Shingal and Duhok camps between August and September, Sherzad Pirmusa, head of the Duhok-based Alind Organization for Youth Democratization said at the beginning of September.
For her part, the wife of the Yazidi leader, Mayan Khairy said Pope Francis vowed to follow up on the fate of Yazidis stranded in Greece and Turkey and living in misery.