[[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) are adherents of a pre-Islamic Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. TYazdanism teaches that G-d forgives all without petition so Satan is but G-d's brightest angel guiding mankind towrds 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 the smallest of the three branches of ''Yazdânism''. The other branches of Yazdânism, Alevism and Yarsanism, differ from Yazidism by recognizing the Shiite practice of ''taqiyya'' (dissimulation). The three branches are geographically split and mutual contacts are rare.
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>
