Yazidis divided over selection of new leader
After the death of the spiritual leader of the Yazidi sect in Iraq and the world, differences come up over the selection of his successor.
ERBIL, Iraq — Yazidi Prince Tahseen Said died in a hospital in Germany Jan. 28 at the age of 86 after a long struggle with illness. His death launched a debate about his potential successor in the international Yazidi community. The debate revealed strong divisions over the leadership of this minority group that lived through a genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014.
The prince's remains reached Iraqi Kurdistan Feb. 4. Officials from both the Baghdad and Erbil governments attended the funeral. Prince Tahseen was buried in his hometown of Baadra in the Shekhan district of the Ninevah governorate.
