THE DRUZE

MY ISRAEL:

THE DRUZE:

The Druze are one of the minorities in Israel. The others being Circassians, Bahai, Ahmadites, Maronite Christians, Bedouin, Armenians, Samaritans & Alawites.

About 1000 years ago the Fatimid’s, Shiite Muslims who hailed from the coastal regions of what is today Libya, Tunisia & eastern Algeria, conquered Egypt. They chose to locate their seat of government in the city of Fustat, which was later renamed El-Kahir and today goes by the name of Cairo. Al Hakim (996-1021), the 6th Fatimad Caliph established a new religion which had its roots in Ismailism, a sect of Shia Islam. When the followers of al-Hakim proclaimed him to have divine attributes, the Fatimid religious establishment objected & condemned the proclamation as heresy. This proclamation led to Al Hakim’s mysterious disappearance & probable murder in 1021 & caused riots in Cairo, the consequences of which culminated in the expulsion of the Druze from Egypt.

During the 12th century, the Druze had resettled in the Shouf mountains of Lebanon. The mid-19th century witnessed a conflict between the Druze & Maronite Christians resulting in the Druze once again being banished from the area & resettling in both Syria & Israel. Today, they occupy an area on the far eastern edge of the Golan plateau in Syria, known as Jebel-el-Druze, the mountain of the Druze. In Israel, the Druze live in the following areas, Mt Hermon, the Golan Heights, The Galilee & Mount Carmel.

There are approximately 950 000 Druze in the world today, 143 000 reside in Israel, 700 000 in Syria and the remainder scattered throughout the world. Some claim that the origins of Druze beliefs originate with Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. However, the Biblical Jethro’s (Exodus 3:1) connection to Islam and the Druze religion is controversial, as he lived about 2050 years prior to the start of Islam in 622 C.E.

The tenets of the religion are secretive & only fully understood by approximately 10% of the population. These 10% are the Uqqal, meaning the enlightened, & comprise mainly of women. The remaining 90% of the population are not privy to the secrets of their belief & are deemed ignorant,& known as the Juhal Conversion is not accepted, consequently the Druze do not proselytize. Intermarriage is forbidden, as is polygamy, smoking, alcohol & pork consumption. Reincarnation is an integral part of Druze belief, as is honesty, protection of one’s brother & respect for elders. Being influenced by Islam the Druze do keep a variation of the 5 pillars of the Islamic faith. These include the following:

1. The Shahada: The declaration of the oneness (tawhid) of God (Allah) and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's messenger. The Druze profess this belief and include Mohammed’s name when said outdoors but preclude Mohammed’s name when said indoors. 2. Salah: The Moslems pray 5 times a day whereas the Druze pray 2 times a day & only by the Uqqal, namely the enlightened. 3. Sum: Moslems fast during the month of Ramadan. The Druze do not fast, they do however only eat indoors during this period. 4. Zakat: Moslems give charity according to Islamic law, the Druze also give charity, but according to their own laws. 5. Haj: The obligation of all Moslems to do a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The Muslims banned the Druze from going to Mecca in 1977.

The Druze support & are loyal to the government in power. The Syrian Druze support Assad & his government & the Israeli Druze, Netanyahu & his government. Their integration into the I.D.F. has been total & their commitment to safeguarding the State of Israel absolute. Until 1956 their induction into the I.D.F. was voluntary. In 1956, following an agreement with the Head of the Druze community, a law was passed obligating Druze men to join the IDF. With this, the ‘Druze Battalion’ was born. They have served in all the elite units within the I.D.F. & in all three categories, namely air, land & sea, with some having achieved high rank. Examples of which are Major General MG Yossi Mishlev, who in 2001 was appointed Home-Front Commander, & in 2008, BG Hasson was appointed President’s Military Secretary.

The extent to which the Druze are committed to safeguarding the State of Israel, is exemplified by the following occurrence. On the morning of 18 November 2014 congregants were praying in a synagogue in Har Nof, a Jerusalem suburb. Two Arab men wielding axes, knives & a gun attacked the congregants. Four worshipers were killed during the attack, and seven more were badly injured, one of whom died of his wounds 11 months later. The first responder was a Druze Israeli police officer by the name of Zidan Saif. During the ensuing gun battle, Zidan Saif, was shot in the head & later died of his wounds. Thousands attended Zidan Saif's funeral, including President Reuven Rivlin, Minister of Internal Security Yitzhak Aharonovich, and Chief of Police Yohanan Danino.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website: rontraub-tours.com Photo’s: The Internet.