Endogamy and community structure

What it is: Yazidism is traditionally an endogamous religion, with strong community control over marriage and belonging.

How the tradition understands it: Marriage outside the community is usually seen as a serious break in religious continuity. The tradition also preserves internal distinctions between religious and social groups.

Basis and context: Endogamy, internal hierarchy, and reserve before external conversions are linked to the search for identity preservation.

Debates and variations: In recent diasporas, debates emerge about flexibilization, ethnic identity, and criteria of belonging.

Supportive

Christine Allison on Yazidi practice and identity

yazidism,christine-allison,identity,orality

Christine Allison's literature emphasizes practice, memory, and community identity.

Reference: Academic works by Christine Allison on Yazidi religion and culture.
Content: Her analyses highlight orality, Kurdishophone identity, community norms, and the importance of describing religion from its practice.
Use in debate: Useful source for purity, endogamy, and oral transmission.

Encyclopaedia Iranica, Yazidis i. General

yezidism,iranica,christine-allison,orthopraxy

A reference academic study on Yazidi identity, practice, and beliefs.

Reference: Encyclopaedia Iranica, article 'Yazidis i. General,' by Christine Allison.
Content: It highlights the importance of orthopraxy, religious purity, metempsychosis, and communal organization.
Use in debate: It is one of the most cited academic sources for a general description of Yezidism.

Khanna Omarkhali, The Yezidi Religious Textual Tradition

yezidism,khanna-omarkhali,orality,texts

A reference study on the textualization and canonization of Yazidi oral traditions.

Reference: Khanna Omarkhali, The Yezidi Religious Textual Tradition: From Oral to Written.
Content: It examines textual categories, oral transmission, written recording, and disputes over textual authority.
Use in debate: It is central for understanding the qewls and the caution needed toward a simplified written canon.

Neutral

Omarkhali on Orality and Canonization

yezidism,omarkhali,canonization,orality

The shift from oral to written forms changed how the religion was presented in the modern period.

Reference: Studies by Khanna Omarkhali on orality, writing, and canonization.
Content: The material shows that the recent textualization of the tradition does not eliminate the central role of oral performance nor automatically resolve internal divergences.
Use in debate: It is a key source on the status of the qewls and of disputed written texts.

Taboo on the Name Satan in Ethnographic Descriptions

yezidism,satan,linguistic-taboo,ethnography

The avoidance of certain terms appears in ethnographic descriptions and polemics.

Reference: Ethnographic descriptions on avoiding the term Satan and associated vocabulary.
Content: The custom is often misinterpreted by outside observers, but in the internal context it relates to linguistic taboos and ritual purity.
Use in debate: It is important for correcting the accusation of 'devil worship.'