The Intersection of Religion and Genocide: A Study of the Ezidi Case
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14500/kujhss.v9n2y2026.pp540-557Keywords:
Religion, Genocide, Ezidis, Islamic Elite, DehumanizationAbstract
This research explores the intersection between religion and genocide, focusing on the Ezidi genocide as a primary case study. The objective is to analyse how religion is utilized as both a motive and a tool to justify the annihilation of minority groups, addressing a critical gap in literature caused by the religious sensitivity of this issue. Regarding methodology, the study adopts Norbert Elias’s theory of "Social Figuration" and utilizes concepts such as "Structural Violence" and "The Otherness" to analyse religious discourse. The research scope and sample include the discourse employed by Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 against the Ezidis, alongside the rhetoric promoted by certain representatives of political and traditional Islam. The key findings categorize the relationship between religion and genocide into three dimensions: Othering, Justification, and Authorization. The study concludes that religious institutions and authorities, even if not direct perpetrators, create a fertile ground for genocide through their discourse. It emphasizes that individuals, consciously or unconsciously, instrumentalize religion as a constructive role in facilitating genocidal processes.
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