“I talked about how some practices are giving us pain and that how they shouldn’t exist among us. If I offended people, I apologize. Yazidis are our dearest and our light,” Perwer said on April 29.

Perwer on April 26 deemed the Yazidi practice of not allowing marriage outside community “fascism” in a speech he made in an event organized by the Mesopotamia Culture Center and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul branch.

“Yazidi Kurds can’t be saved without Muslim Kurds. Muslim Kurds can’t be saved without Yazidi Kurds. Don’t be enemy to your own people. The Kurds are protecting you. Turks and Arabs see you as nonbelievers. Kurds have awoken now, they are protecting you,” Perwer said in his speech.

Following backlash, Perwer apologized, saying that “The pains of Yazidi people are our pains.”

He also said that he won’t call a community or people believing in certain religion fascists.

“I don’t have the right to do that. My intentions were not bad, however what I said was not understood correctly. We should know each other’s worth,” Perwer added.

Reporter’s code: 50101