Yezidis

“When you kill someone, you kill yourself”
~ Yezidi Faqir

"The Yezidis or Yazidis are a Kurdish speaking people who live principally in northern Iraq. They number approximately 800,000. They are mostly a poor and oppressed people, but they have a rich spiritual tradition that they contend is the world’s oldest. They refer to themselves as the People of the Peacock Angel, a deity who came to Earth in extremely ancient times to help create our planet and all the life forms upon it... They revere both the Bible and the Koran, but much of their own tradition is oral. One cannot convert to Yazidism, only be born into it.

Yazidis believe God created the world and placed it into the care of seven angels, the main one being named Malak Tawous. Embodied on Earth by a peacock, Malak Tawous was thrown out of paradise by God for refusing to bow to Adam, but was forgiven and returned to heaven.

Another name for Malak Tawous is "Shaytan", which is Arabic for devil. This has led to the Yazidis being labelled as devil worshippers.

Their holiest site is Lalesh temple, situated in a valley in Nineveh Province. Yazidis are expected to make a pilgrimage to the temple at least once in their lives. Lalesh temple is the site of the tomb of Adi ibn Musafir, who is believed to be a descendant of the Peacock Angel, Malak Tawous...

Yezidis began arriving in the United States in the 1990s and currently have small settlements principally in the Mid-West and the East. Their largest settlement is currently in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. They also have communities in Houston, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle, Washington, and San Diego, California..."

~ http://www.yeziditruth.org/

"..Beginning in August 2014, the Yazidis were targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in its campaign to "purify" Iraq and its neighbouring countries of non-Islamist influences..."

~ Wikipedia