Nadia Murad's Interview with American Interest

Five Questions to Seven Women Who Inspire Us

They have all won awards (one the Nobel Prize). They have all struggled and sacrificed. They have all pursued excellence and integrity. They have all fought for accountable government, rule of law, human rights—and a better world.

Read the full article here.

The Human Rights Activist. Nadia Murad.

Murad was 19 years old when Islamic State (ISIS) members attacked her village of Kojo in northern Iraq. A member of the Yazidi minority group, Murad witnessed ISIS slaughtering hundreds of Kojo’s inhabitants, including her mother and six brothers. Captured in August 2014 and held in captivity in Mosul where, along with thousands of other Yazidi women, she was abused, Murad managed to escape to Germany later that year.

Murad has since emerged as one of the world’s leading activists fighting for the survivors of sexual violence. She founded Nadia’s Initiative in order to assist victims in Iraq. In 2018, Murad was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

What drives you? What are you fighting for? Was there one defining experience or one particular source of inspiration in your life?

I am fighting to help my community recover from the genocide ISIS carried out in 2014. Our continued fight is an existential one—the effects of the aftermath of genocide still weigh on the Yazidi community. ISIS came to kill, destroy, and enslave Yazidi men, women, and children. My organization fights to counter what ISIS did, by rebuilding the Yazidis’ ancestral homeland, exposing the crimes of sexual violence ISIS carried out against Yazidi women and children, and bringing ISIS to justice in a court of law.

Under Donald Trump, in particular, America seems to be losing its interest in supporting and promoting human rights and democracy. Have you felt a change? Is there any impact on you and your work?

Since 2003, there has been a rise in radical terrorist groups in Iraq. Yazidis have been targeted by different groups, including al-Qaeda and ISIS. As a small religious minority, Yazidis will not be able to recover from this genocide without international support. America holds a lot of power in the international community. I have asked the American government to support the redevelopment of the Yazidi community and to pursue justice for survivors, so the community can heal. The international community has a moral responsibility to protect minority groups like the Yazidis from ethnic cleansing and genocide. The fight for justice and peace in Iraq is connected to the fight for justice and peace in America and Europe.

What do you think of when you hear the words “Democracy in America”?

I think the existing democratic societies in the world are far from perfect, but that does not mean that democracy should be taken for granted. Today, our world is more connected than ever. Those who enjoy a democratic system like the one in America have avenues to fight for their rights. And they can use those avenues to become a voice for communities like Yazidis in remote corners of the world where those democratic systems don’t exist.

What do you think of when you hear the names Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr.?

These men gave their lives to fight for equality and human rights in different parts of the world. They often did so during times when speaking out against injustice was seen as a crime. But they persevered against all odds. I greatly admire them, their defense of their fellow human beings, and their sacrifice to make the world a better place for everyone.

What is the biggest mistake we in the West have made in the past 30 years? And can we repair the damage?

War leaves lasting effects on generations. War should not be a solution to all problems. Powerful nations in the West must take into consideration that small communities like Yazidis are not able to survive in conflict areas. The West shouldn’t have abandoned religious minorities in a fragile country like Iraq. We as a small community didn’t have the resources and power to protect our community from ISIS. The result was a genocide and widespread sexual violence against Yazidi women.