Perception Of Yazidis and Yezidism in Turkish Society Through Social Media

Abstract

Yazidism, whose members today live in Europe and America rather than in this region, is a religion of Middle Eastern origin. ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) came to the world agenda with the massacre of hundreds of people in Iraq in 2014, and even many people in the Middle East became aware of Yazidism and Yazidis with this incident. Some of the oldest homes of Yazidis are in the borders of the Republic of Turkey. Hakkâri and Mardin are among the most important of these regions. In this study, Yazidi's perception of Turkish Society was investigated. In Turkey, comments about Yazidis were investigated in dictionary creation platforms by making nationally accessible and up-to-date definitions on the internet to achieve this aim. In consequence of the study, it was determined that there are three such dictionaries in Turkey, and the data of the study were obtained by a total of 173 definitions and interpretations about the items “Yazidis,” and “Yazidism” were classified in itself in each of these three dictionaries. The study determined the existence of a series of perceptions and images differing about Yazidism and Yazidis in Turkish Society. Among the most prominent among these, it was understood that the stereotype of Yazidis in Turkey is “demonists.” However, the existence of a powerful humanist approach as a separate pole has also been determined. The perception of Yazidism in Turkish Society, like its thing, is syncretic, eclectic, and unsteady.