New Yazidi prince appointed in Iraq amid sharp divisions
A new Yazidi prince has been appointed in Iraq amid sharp division in the community that recently survived genocide.
SHEIKHAN, Iraq — Hazim Tahseen Bek was officially inaugurated July 27 as the new Yazidi prince for Iraq and the world at the Lalish temple in Sheikhan in Dahuk province in northern Iraq. This comes after his father, Prince Tahseen Said, died in a hospital in Germany on Jan. 28 at the age of 86 after a long illness. The inauguration of the new prince, who is around 66, put an end to debate about Said’s potential successor in the international Yazidi community.
However, the investiture has divided the family of the late prince. It also has exposed conflicts between Yazidis living in Sheikhan and survivors of the genocide that the Islamic State committed against Yazidis in Sinjar (Shingal) in Ninevah province.
Sarmad Sarhad Tahseen Bek, a grandson of the late prince, published a statement in which he condemned the inauguration and said it did not respect the will of the Yazidis. He said it was based on an agreement among the candidates and did not respect the instructions of Prince Tahseen Said.
The statement rejects the way the new prince was imposed as a fait accompli with no regard for Yazidis' opinions and without holding a general Yazidi conference to elect a council tasked with choosing a new prince.
