[[Image:Melek taus.jpg|frame|right|Malak Ta’us, the peacock angel]]
The '''Yazidi''' or '''Yezidi''' (Kurdish language: ''Êzidîtî'' or ''Êzidî'') (Arabic,يزيدي or ايزيدي or Tsabia Hunefa) are adherents of a pre-Islamic Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. Yazdanism teaches that Yazidism preaches an all-forgiving G-d forgives all without petition so with Satan is as but G-d's brightest angel guiding mankind towrds towards perfection by faithfully carrying out his duty as accuser. Temptation, wickedness and difficulty only teach caution snd ultimately lead humans towards a brighter future. The Yazidi belong to Yazidism is the smallest of the three several branches of ''[[Yazdânism]]''. The other branches of Yazdânisminclude Paulicians, Ishkism, Marcionism, Manicheism, Bahaism, Magianism, Alevism and Yarsanism, . Alevism and Yarsanism differ from Yazidism by recognizing the Shiite practice of ''taqiyya'' (dissimulation). The three various branches are geographically split and mutual contacts are rare. Yazidism (Tsabia Hunefa) is the child of Tsabism and the Mother of Gnosticism (Tsabia Mushrikun).
The denomination drew international attention in 2007 when news outlets carried cellphone video footage of the stoning murder of Du’a Khalil Aswad, a 17-year-old Yazidi girl whose boyfriend was not of the faith.<ref>{{citenews|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=452288&in_page_id=1811 |title=The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy|publisher=Daily Mail|date=2007-05-03|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref>
Yazidis are primarily ethnic Kurdsnon-Turkic Iranian (Kurdish) tribes among the Qizilbash, and most live near Mosul, Iraq with smaller communities in Armenia (some 40,000 according to 2001 census), Georgia (country), Iran, Russia (31,273 as per 2002 census), Syria, and Turkey. They number around 500,000 individuals in total, but estimates vary on their population size, partially due to the Yazidi tradition of secrecy when asked about one's religious beliefs. Yazidi refugees also live in Europe and the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/02/28/news/local/doc45e4c4211d311953438645.txt|title=Lincoln Iraqis call for protection from terrorism|last=Reeves|first=Bob|publisher=Lincoln Journal Star|date=2007-02-28|accessdate=2007-02-28}}</ref>
