Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Today I am here to tell you that my people are a victim of genocide based on their religious beliefs. On August 3, 2014, ISIS attacked the region of Shingal and began one of the most atrocious killing campaigns of the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. Many Yazidis were captured. Men, women, and children were separated from their families.
Boys were forcibly converted and trained to become suicide bombers and soldiers for ISIS. As many as 5,000 Yazidi girls were taken as sex slaves by ISIS and resold across the Middle East. Girls as young as nine years old were raped, and often more than 30 times a day. This continues, and some 3,000 remain in captivity. Many have committed suicide, and others have been murdered. Yazidi babies were taken away from their families and given to Muslim families. Men were either converted or executed on the spot in front of their families. Older women were executed while younger women were kidnapped and forced into widespread sexual slavery industry.
ISIS justifies its campaign against the Yazidis under the banner of radical Islam. It considers the Yazidi as infidels and devil-worshippers whom they view as subhuman.
How is this not a genocide? This is a systematic elimination of my people based on their religious beliefs.
The Yazidis who were lucky enough to escape the Shingal attack fled to Mount Sinjar in August of 2014. Thousands died of starvation or dehydration or exposure to the elements. Young mothers dug graves to bury their children who did not survive.
Following the intervention of western nations, tens of thousands of Yazidis were finally able to flee and settle across Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. This tragedy has left over 500,000 Yazidis as displaced persons, with well over 100,000 in UNHCR refugee camps.
Did you know that these camps are segregated? This is because we are a religious minority that the Muslim world does not accept. The UN keeps us segregated to protect us, even from other refugees.
The situation of my people is desperate and it is dire. I implore you to act to help save my people from extinction.
The Yazidis have held a unique and terrible religious status in Iraq and Syria, which is different from any other group. It means that we can be murdered and raped and enslaved with moral and civil impunity. Without your intervention, my people will not survive.
Our religion is over 6,000 years old, and we used to number 23 million people. However, after 73 recorded massacres, we now number fewer than 700,000 and we are scattered across the world. We are homeless. We are hopeless. We are looking for refuge in a country that will accept us for the peaceful people we are. Please do not make my people a history lesson for the future.
My name is Nafiya Naso. I was a Yazidi refugee who came to this great country with my family over 16 years ago. Canada gave us a future. My people need courageous leaders to give them a safe haven. Canada is that country. You are these leaders, and the time is now.