Yazidis Mourn Death Of Revered Spiritual Leader Baba Sheikh Who Stood For The Community And Its Women Held Captive By ISIS

People of the Yazidi community are mourning the death of their Yazdi spiritual leader His Holiness Baba Sheikh Khurto Hajji Ismail, also known as Baba Sheikh. He was a revered Yazidi spiritual leader who stood for the Iraqi ethnic and religious minority.

The community descends from ancient roots in Iraq and the region and have faced executions and atrocities from ISIS.

"U.S. Consulate General #Erbil offers its sincere condolences to the family and to the #Yazidi community on the passing of the spiritual leader Kherto Haji Ismail (Baba Sheikh). He always had a wise and positive influence on the Yazidi community, especially during hard times."

An article (2014) on the Yazidi community, The Guardian said:

"Researcher Cale Salih (@callysally) interviewed the Yazidis’ spiritual leader Baba Sheikh for the New York Times last month. She wrote:

For the past several years, Baba Sheikh, the Yazidis’ spiritual leader, tells me he has canceled the official yearly religious ceremony at Lalesh temple, the holy site of the Yazidis, out of fear of attacks."