A Very Brief History of the Yazidi and What They're Up Against in Iraq

"In recent days, Yazidi women, men, and children from the area of Sinjar have fled for their lives," President Obama said. "And thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—are now hiding high up on [a] mountain, with little but the clothes on their backs."

The immediate question everyone's raised, of course, has been "Who are the Yazidis, and why are they being persecuted?" There's a long history behind the Yazidi community, and there are more than enough explainers out on the Internet ready to go. Here at The Wire, we've parsed out the four key points to take away:

Here's what Yazidi means: "Worshippers of god." The root of the name comes from the Persian "ized," which means "angel" or "deity."

Here's what extremists think Yazidi means: "Worshippers of the devil" but we'll get to that. Some think the name comes from Yazid ibn Muawiya, an unpopular second caliph of the Umayyad dynasty harkening back to the 7th Century. The ones who believe the devil definition have been misinformed: The Yazidi believe in a supreme being named Yasdan, whose seven great spirits include the Peacock Angel named Malak Taus. In turn, Malak Taus, who is supposed to be God's alter ego, has an alternate name of Shaytan, which in Arabic means "devil." Because the Yazidi believe in continual rebirth, Malak Taus exists in, but that doesn't define their faith. ...