The South Lebanon Army, a militia group, Shishakli believed that among his many opponents in Syria, the Druze were the most potentially dangerous, and he was determined to crush them. The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.[20]. [123][pageneeded], Shishakli launched a brutal campaign to defame the Druze for their religion and politics. The spies set about agitating trouble and soiling the reputation of the Druze. [112] Also, the Druze formed an alliance with Britain and allowed Protestant missionaries to enter Mount Lebanon, creating tension between them and the Catholic Maronites. [291] Israeli Druze citizens serve in the Israel Defense Forces. He taught also that Muslims cannot accept Druze penitence nor keep them alive, and Druze property should be confiscated, and their women enslaved. Recent genetic clustering analyses of ethnic groups are consistent with the close ancestral relationship between the Druze and Cypriots, and also identified similarity to the general Syrian and Lebanese populations, as well as the major Jewish divisions (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Iraqi, and Moroccan Jews) (Behar et al. As of 2018, the Jews in Lebanon make up the smallest recognized religious group, with merely 69 persons or 0.08% of the population. [67] According to the Los Angeles Times in 2017 "there are about 30,000 in the United States, with the largest concentration in Southern California".[68]. [107][216][217][218] The Druze have frequently experienced persecution by different Muslim regimes such as the Shia Fatimid Caliphate,[54][85] Mamluk,[96] Sunni Ottoman Empire,[219][103] and Egypt Eyalet. These messengers were sent out with the Druze epistles and took written vows from believers, whose souls are thought to still exist in the Druze of today. This resulted in friction with the new caliph who clashed militarily with the Druze community. While the ban was eventually lifted after the end of his reign, the Druze, who hold Al-Hakim in high regard and give him quasi-divine authority,[159] continue to respect the ban, and do not eat Mulukhiyah of any kind to this day. Second limit: Ismail ibn Muhamed ibn Hamed at-Tamimi (Ismail at-Tamimi) (. [187] They reject nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs and often, the consumption of pork (to the Uqql and not necessarily to the Juhhl). But instead of dispersing throughout the world after their separation, the full range of lineages can still be found within the Druze population. The Druze faith extended to many areas in the Middle East, but most of the modern Druze can trace their origin to the Wadi al-Taym in Southern Lebanon, which is named after an Arab tribe Taym Allah (or Taym Allat) which, according to Islamic historian al-Tabari, first came from the Arabian Peninsula into the valley of the Euphrates where they had been Christianized prior to their migration into Lebanon. 28,246,000 2 Form Of Government: unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (People's Assembly [250]) From their fortresses in the Gharb area (now in Aley District of southern Mount Lebanon Governorate), the Tanukhs led their incursions into the Phoenician coast and finally succeeded in holding Beirut and the marine plain against the Franks. The oldest and most densely-populated Druze communities exist in Mount Lebanon and in the south of Syria around Jabal al-Druze (literally the "Mountain of the Druze"). Marriage outside the Druze faith is rare and strongly discouraged. Before becoming public, the movement was secretive and held closed meetings in what was known as Sessions of Wisdom. This led the Ottoman government to agree to an arrangement whereby the different nahiyes (districts) of the Chouf would be granted in iltizam ("fiscal concession") to one of the region's amirs, or leading chiefs, leaving the maintenance of law and order and the collection of its taxes in the area in the hands of the appointed amir. A 2004 DNA study has shown that Israeli Druze are remarkable for the high frequency (35%) of males who carry the Y-chromosomal haplogroup L, which is otherwise uncommon in the Middle East (Shen et al. [3][4] The religions are Islam (Sunni, Shia, and a small number of Alawites and Ismailis) and Christianity (the Maronite Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Protestantism, the Armenian Apostolic Church). [47][48] The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. [54] As a result, the faith went underground, in hope of survival, as those captured were either forced to renounce their faith or be killed. He is believed to have been of Persian origins and his title al-Darazi is Persian in origin, meaning "the tailor". The mother tongue of Druze in Syria, Lebanon and Israel is Levantine Arabic,[196] except those born and lives in the Druze diaspora such as Venezuela, where Arabic was not taught or spoken at home. [186], Druze principles focus on honesty, loyalty, filial piety, altruism, patriotic sacrifice, and monotheism. [57] Others have speculated that the word comes from the Persian word Darazo ( "bliss") or from Shaykh Hussayn ad-Daraz, who was one of the early converts to the faith. Mailing address: The Greater Warren County Drug Task Force P.O. [92] And that was the first area where the Druze appeared in the historical record under the name "Druze". A total of 311 Israeli Druze were sampled: 37 from the Golan Heights, 183 from the Galilee, and 35 from Mount Carmel, as well as 27 Druze immigrants from Syria and 29 from Lebanon (Slush et al. [78] In 1018 Al-Hakim had al-Darazi executed, leaving Hamza the sole leader of the new faith and al-Darazi considered to be a renegade. They are believed to have been behind the bombings of the. Image credit: Diego Fiore/Shutterstock Lebanon has at least 18 known religious groups. The holy places and shrines of the Druze are scattered in various villages, in places where they are protected and cared for. Additionally, souls cannot be divided and the number of souls existing in the universe is finite. ", "South American 'mate' tea a long-time Lebanese hit", Syria Druze back Sunnis' revolt with words but not arms, "Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? [193] The procedure is practiced as a cultural tradition, and has no religious significance in the Druze faith. No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e., religious) balance. He frequently proclaimed: "My enemies are like a serpent: The head is the Jebel al-Druze, the stomach Homs, and the tail Aleppo. [302] While it is not yet known exactly what selective advantage is provided by this gene variant, the Haplogroup D allele is thought[by whom?] [45], The Druze do not permit outsiders to convert to their religion. [62][64] According to scholar Colbert C. Held of University of Nebraska, Lincoln the number of Druze people worldwide is around one million, with about 45% to 50% live in Syria, 35% to 40% live in Lebanon, and less than 10% live in Israel, with recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora. When al-Hakim returns, all faithful Druze will join him in his march from China and on to conquer the world. And they are demanding the fall of the government from the outset, while criticizing political leaders from every sect. [102] Contemporary historian Istifan al-Duwayhi reports that Korkmaz was killed in act of treachery by the Beylerbey of Damascus in 1662. Although the Druze consider ad-Daraz a heretic,[54] the name has been used to identify them, possibly by their historical opponents as a way to attach their community with ad-Darazi's poor reputation. Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages conducted in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities. [39] Druze believe that at the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (al-aql al-kull). flag of Syria Audio File: National anthem of Syria See all media Category: Geography & Travel Head Of State And Government: President: Bashar al-Assad, assisted by Prime Minister: Hussein Arnous Capital: Damascus Population: (2023 est.) Galilee: J 31%, R 20%, E 18%, G 14%, K 11%, Q 4%, L 2%. [9] Most Israeli Druze identify ethnically as Arabs. Jean-Marc Aractingi, La Face Cache des Druzes " Les Francs-Maons de l'Orient", 251 pages, Editeur: Independently published (6 juillet 2020), Jean-Marc Aractingi, "Les Druzes et la Franc-maonnerie", in, Jean-Marc Aractingi, "Points de convergence dans les rituels et symboles chez les Druzes et chez les francs-maons", in, Pinhas Inabri "Pan-Arabism versus Pan-Islam Where Do the Druze Fit? [188] Druze reject polygamy, believe in reincarnation, and are not obliged to observe most of the religious rituals. Lebanon is an eastern Mediterranean country that has the most religiously diverse society within the Middle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects. [25], Non-religion is not recognized by the state. [175] The soul embodies the mind and is responsible for transmigration and the character of oneself. The origin of the family goes back to a Prince Ma'an who made his appearance in the Lebanon in the days of the 'Abbasid caliph al-Mustarshid (111835 CE). Druze Trilogy 2- Theology. [58] As for Western sources, Benjamin of Tudela, the Jewish traveler who passed through Lebanon in or around 1165, was one of the first European writers to refer to the Druze by name. The Ln River flows southward through the fertile Al-Biq (Bekaa) valley region. [citation needed], The call was suspended briefly between 19 May 1018 and 9 May 1019 during the apostasy of al-Darazi and again between 1021 and 1026 during a period of persecution by Ali az-Zahir for those who had sworn the oath to accept the call. It consists of a narrow strip of territory and is one of the world's smaller sovereign states. From 1957, the Israeli government formally recognized the Druze as a separate religious community,[295] and are defined as a distinct ethnic group in the Israeli Ministry of Interior's census registration. [163] In the time of the faith's foundation, the five were Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad, Muammad ibn Wahb al-Qurash, Ab'l-Khayr Salama ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Samurri, Isml ibn Muammad at-Tamm, and Al-Muqtana Baha'uddin. To the Druze, Jesus is an important prophet of God,[160][161] being among the seven prophets (including Muhammad) who appeared in different periods of history. ISBN 978-0-244-23549-9. At the same time, a peaceful sit-in took place in Saida.[29]. [298] Jethro of Midian is considered an ancestor of the Druze who revere him as their spiritual founder and chief prophet. Syrian troops, for instance, crossed the border to fight the Palestinian forces in support of the Phalangist militia, but the al-lies fell out a few years later when the Christian force demanded that the Syrians leave the coun-try. [183] However, that term is seldom used by the Druze. Currency: Lebanese pound. Iran's 1979 revolution transformed relations with Lebanon and politics within Lebanon, especially after Tehran sired Hezbollah in 1982. Travel Facts Locator Map View Details Introduction Background As a result of its location at the crossroads of three continents, the area that is modern-day Lebanon is rich in cultural and religious diversity. According to Druze accounts, Shishakli encouraged neighboring Bedouin tribes to plunder the defenseless population and allowed his own troops to run amok. They are Arabs who speak the Arabic language and follow a social pattern very similar to those of the other peoples of the Levant (eastern Mediterranean). [144], Reincarnation is a paramount principle in the Druze faith. [86][87], Some Druze and non-Druze scholars like Samy Swayd and Sami Makarem state that this confusion is due to confusion about the role of the early preacher al-Darazi, whose teachings the Druze rejected as heretical. It is not rare to find the clergy involved in political activities, either as members or as leaders. The colors can be arranged in vertically descending stripes (as a flag), or a five-pointed star. [155][156][157][158][159][excessive citations] Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important figure in the Druze faith whose eponymous founder ad-Darazi proclaimed him as the incarnation of God in 1018.[155][156]. Because of their fierce battles with the Crusaders, the Druze earned the respect of the Sunni Muslim caliphs and thus gained important political powers. [66] In 2021 the largest Druze communities outside the Middle East are in Venezuela (60,000) and in the United States (50,000). Unlike the Mu'tazila, and similar to some branches of Sufism, the Druze believe in the concept of Tajalli (meaning "theophany"). Lebanese Christians and Druze became a genetic isolate in the predominantly Islamic world.[301]. Contact Info: Joshua's Place. [13], Circumcision is widely practiced by the Druze. [102] Ahmad however emerged victorious in the power struggle among the Druze in 1667, but the Mans lost control of Safad[103] and retreated to controlling the iltizam of the Shuf mountains and Kisrawan. [110][111] Conversion of Druze to Christianity used to be common practice in the Levant region. The Druze (/druz/;[19] Arabic: , darz or Arabic: durz, pl. He went so far in 1608 as to sign a commercial treaty with Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany containing secret military clauses. The civil war of 1860 cost the Maronites some ten thousand lives in Damascus, Zahl, Deir al-Qamar, Hasbaya, and other towns of Lebanon. Fakhreddine Palace. The latter title has since been usurped by the Hawran region, which since the middle of the 19th century has proven a haven of refuge to Druze emigrants from Lebanon and has become the headquarters of Druze power. [196] The Druze Arabic dialect, especially in the rural areas, is often different from the other regional Arabic dialects. ISBN 978-0-244-83701-3. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [3] [4] The religions are Islam ( Sunni, Shia, and a small number of Alawites and Ismailis) and Christianity (the Maronite Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Wednesdays 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (childcare available) Saturdays 9:30 - 11:00 am (no childcare) South Lebanon Community Center. These layers, according to the Druze, are as follows: Druze do not believe that the esoteric meaning abrogates or necessarily abolishes the exoteric one. Though governor of the Druze Mountain, Bashir was a crypto-Christian, and it was he whose aid Napoleon solicited in 1799 during his campaign against Syria. [28][38] Druze believe in theophany and reincarnation. The word Dogziyin ("Druzes") occurs in an early Hebrew edition of his travels, but it is clear that this is a scribal error. At independence the Druze, made confident by their successes, expected that Damascus would reward them for their many sacrifices on the battlefield. 1. Fakhr ad Din II was succeeded in 1635 by his nephew Mulhim Ma'n, who ruled through his death in 1658. Hamza bin Ali refutes such claims by stating that if the esoteric interpretation of taharah (purity) is purity of the heart and soul, it doesn't mean that a person can discard his physical purity, as salat (prayer) is useless if a person is untruthful in his speech and that the esoteric and exoteric meanings complement each other. [93] It is generally considered the "birthplace of the Druze faith". Getting There Just an hour's drive of Beirut, Zahle is easily accessible. Shishakli was assassinated in Brazil on 27 September 1964 by a Druze seeking revenge for Shishakli's bombardment of the Jebel al-Druze. Youssef Chehab Serail. [274] In the Druze tradition, Jesus is known under three titles: the True Messiah (al-Masih al-Haq), the Messiah of all Nations (Masih al-Umam), and the Messiah of Sinners. [11][12] Lebanon also has a Jewish population estimated at less than 100.[3]. [203] Mate is made by steeping dried leaves of the South American plant yerba mate in hot water and is served with a metal straw ( bambja or maah) from a gourd ( finjn or qarah). [80] It promoted absolute monotheism and the concepts of supporting your fellow man, true speech and pursuit of oneness with God. [22], Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister must be a Sunni, and the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shia. [96][pageneeded], The relationship between the Druze and Christians has been characterized by harmony and coexistence,[106][107][108][109] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. The following are different sources that do not pretend to be fully representative of the religious affiliation of the people of Lebanon. The first feudal Druze family, the Tanukhids, which made for itself a name in fighting the Crusaders was, according to Haydar al-Shihabi, an Arab tribe from Mesopotamia where it occupied the position of a ruling family and apparently was Christianized. The belief in reincarnation had first existed among Jewish mystics in the Ancient World, among whom differing explanations were given of the afterlife, although with a universal belief in an immortal soul. [140] The number of Druze parliament members usually exceeds their proportion in the Israeli population, and they are integrated within several political parties. Travelers like Niebuhr, and scholars like Max von Oppenheim, undoubtedly echoing the popular Druze belief regarding their own origin, have classified them as Arabs. In the case of Lebanon, many Lebanese couples therefore conducted their civil marriage in Cyprus, which became a well-known destination for such instances. Office of International Religious Freedom June 2, 2022 [149 KB] Executive Summary The constitution states there shall be "absolute freedom of conscience" and guarantees the free exercise of religious rites for all religious groups provided they do not disturb the public order. 2. [137] Today, thousands of Israeli Druze belong to "Druze Zionist" movements.[134]. The rebellion ended in brutal suppression of the Druze by General Sami Pasha al-Farouqi, significant depopulation of the Hauran region and execution of the Druze leaders in 1910. [104] Ahmad continued as local ruler through his death from natural causes, without heir, in 1697. The Druze believe that many teachings given by prophets, religious leaders and holy books have esoteric meanings preserved for those of intellect, in which some teachings are symbolic and allegorical in nature, and divide the understanding of holy books and teachings into three layers. As early as the days of Saladin, and while the Ma'ans were still in complete control over southern Lebanon, the Shihab tribe, originally Hijaz Arabs, but later settled in awran, advanced from awran, in 1172, and settled in Wadi al-Taym at the foot of mount Hermon. [123][pageneeded], When a local paper in 1945 reported that President Shukri al-Quwatli (194349) had called the Druze a "dangerous minority", Sultan Pasha al-Atrash flew into a rage and demanded a public retraction. Fakhr-al-Din became too strong for his Turkish sovereign in Constantinople. [176] The stripes are a diagrammatic cut of the spheres in neoplatonic philosophy, while the five-pointed star embodies the golden ratio, phi, as a symbol of temperance and a life of moderation. [85] The largest massacre was at Antioch, where 5000 prominent Druze were killed, followed by that of Aleppo. The civil war was not therefore a religious war,[citation needed] except in Damascus, where it spread and where the vastly non-Druze population was anti-Christian. Below are the main political parties in Lebanon. Druze philosophy also shows Sufi influences. [131], Druze doctrine teaches that Christianity is to be "esteemed and praised" as the Gospel writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom". [222] Those acts of persecution were meant to eradicate the whole community according to the Druze narrative. Lebanon consists of two mountain chains, the Lebanon and the ante-Lebanon; a narrow coastal strip, where all the major cities lie; and a fertile plain, the Bekaa valley, which lies between the two mountain chains and provides most of . 2020. [41] The Druze believe that Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and Isma'il ibn Ja'far were prophets. After the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt on 16 March 1977, his son Walid Jumblatt took the leadership of the party and played an important role in preserving his father's legacy after winning the Mountain War and sustained the existence of the Druze community during the sectarian bloodshed that lasted until 1990. In 1957, the Israeli government designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community at the request of its communal leaders. Under the Lebanese political division (Parliament of Lebanon Seat Allocation) the Druze community is combined with Lebanon's Muslim community to form 50% of the parliament, despite the Druze and Muslims having very different beliefs. [180] The cohesiveness and frequent inter-community social interaction, however, enables most Druze to have an idea about their broad ethical requirements and have some sense of what their theology consists of (albeit often flawed). A large Syrian Druze community historically lived in the Golan Heights, but following wars with Israel in 1967 and 1973, many of these Druze fled to other parts of Syria; most of those who remained live in a handful of villages in the disputed zone, while only a few live in the narrow remnant of Quneitra Governorate that is still under effective Syrian control. After the Shehab dynasty converted to Christianity, the Druze community and feudal leaders came under attack from the regime with the collaboration of the Maronite Catholic Church, and the Druze lost most of their political and feudal powers. Druze and Christians grouped in political, rather than religious, parties; the party lines in Lebanon obliterated ethnic and religious lines and the people grouped themselves into one or the other of these two parties regardless of their religious affiliations. The 1911 edition of Encyclopdia Britannica states that the Druze are "a mixture of refugee stocks, in which the Arab largely predominates, grafted on to an original mountain population of Aramaic blood".[57]. [citation needed], Al-Hakim was replaced by his underage son, Al al-Zahir. He accused the entire community of treason, at times claiming they were in the employ of the British and Hashimites, at others that they were fighting for Israel against the Arabs. Laque Pride supports the enacting of a unified Civil Code for the Personal Status Law.[28]. Some sects of Islam, including all Shia denominations, don't recognize the religious authority of Al Azhar University, those that do sometimes challenge the religious legitimacy of Shaltut's fatwa because it was issued for political reasons, as Gamal Abdel Nasser saw it as a tool to spread his appeal and influence across the entire Arab world.
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