The Israeli Druze

The Druze are an independent religious community which has been in existence since the beginning of the eleventh century. The sect's religion is secret. Although it has a holy book of its own, it is not Islamic, Christian or Judaic. The Principal beliefs are monotheism and reincarnation. Accordingly, no conversions are allowed-either into or out the religion. The Druze are attached to their land and property; they are village and mountain dwellers. They harbor no national aspirations for their own state or country. Through their rigid adherence to the rules of the clan patriarchs and through their insistence on marriage only within the community, Druze who marry non-Druze women are physically expelled and excommunicated from Druze centers, they have maintained their historical exclusivity. The Druze have transformed what was a religious community into something close to an ethnic entity, although the blood-line remains Arab. The sect split from Islam at the beginning of the eleventh century, when its adherents migrated from Egypt to Lebanon.

After only one generation of, they became established along the western slopes of Mount Hermon. From there they spread westward into Lebanon (mainly the Shouf Mountains), south into Galilee and Mount Carmel in Israel, and east into Syria. Today, besides the 98,000 Druze in Israel, there are believed to be some 900,000 Druze in Syria, 400,000 in Lebanon, and a few small communities (originally Lebanese and Syrians) living today in the USA, Canada, South and Central America and Australia. Israeli Druze lives in seventeen villages-all in Galilee, except for two on Mount Carmel. All are situated high in the mountains- locations resulting naturally from the Druze policy of protective isolation. Of these villages, nine are entirely Druze and the remaining eight have mixed Druze and Arab, mainly Christian, populations. They strongly believe in co-existence between all religious, national and ethnic groups within the framework of one state and one flag.
Their strict adherence to their teachings has ensured their survival in their own villages. Known as the "Sons of Grace", they are a friendly, reliable people, considered by many to be the most hospitable and courageous race in the world, with the additional quality of never forgetting a kindness. The sect's beliefs include loyalty to the countries in which they reside. Therefore Syrian Druze serve in the Syrian army, Lebanese Druze serves in the Lebanese army, and Israeli Druze serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Many young Druze take part in the daily defense burden along Israel's borders and some 175 Druze have sacrificed their lives for the security of the State of Israel. A substantial number have risen to commanding positions in the Israel Defense Forces.

Thus Druze in Israel cooperated with Jewish pioneers in the late 1920s and this cooperation grew stronger over the next 20 years until 1947, when the majority of Druze sided with the newly-proclaimed State of Israel. During the War of Independence they fought alongside the Israel Defense Forces. Today they are the only non-Jewish community in Israel who compulsory complete three years of military service in the Israel Defense Forces, in marked contrast to the youth of other non-Jewish Israelis, who are exempt from military service. The young Druze, therefore, spend years in the service of Israeli Defense Forces and can start their studies at am age when they have to take care of their families.

The Druze and Israel

In the late 1980s the Israeli Druze lived in seventeen villages in Galilee and around Mount Carmel. Of these, nine were all Druze and the rested, mostly with Christian Arabs. Less than 10 percent of the Druze in Israel lived in cities--compared to more than 60 percent of Christians. The Druze religion is known mainly for being shrouded in secrecy, even from large groups of Druzes themselves, the juhhal, uninitiated or "ignorant ones." The uqqal , the "wise," or initiated, undergo periods of initiation, each signaling an increased mastery of the mysteries of the faith. Although there is a formal separation between religious and political leadership,the wise ones have traditionally wielded considerable political influence. The religion is fiercely monotheistic and includes an elaborate doctrine of the reincarnation and transmigration of souls. It shares with Shia Islam the doctrine of p racticing , the art of dissimulation in hostile environments. In the past this practice meant seeming to worship in the manner of the conqueror or dominant group, without apostasy. In more recent times, some observers note, it has meant being loyal to the state in which they reside, including serving in its army.

Because the Druze religion was considered schismatic to Islam, even to Shia Islam, the Druze occasionally suffered discrimination and persecution at the hands of Muslims and, like other Middle Eastern dissidents, inhabited marginal or easily defensible areas : mountain slopes and intermontane valleys. Because the Druzes have long enjoyed a reputation for military prowess and good soldiery, they have often not} suffered discrimination or persecutions lightly or without responding in kind. Whether because of the desire to settle old scores, or because the doctrine of taqiya can be stretched in this direction, the Druze have been remarkable in being a non-Jewish, Arabic-speaking group that has supported the Jewish state, both in the late Mandate period and since Israel's independence through service of Druze young men in the IDF and the paramilitary Border Police. About 175 Druzes have been killed in action, including a large proportion of that number in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Funeral for Israeli Druze soldier Samer Hussein in Hurfesh, Israel. Hussein was killed at the Erez crossing in the Gaza Strip.

Source: Israel Druze Society