The Druze People & Religion (Al-Muwaḥḥidūn)

"The Pen is in thy hands, write, and fear not."

Genetics Confirm Oral Traditions Of Druze In Israel

The Druze درزي‎ durūz דרוזי‎ are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group, originating in the Middle East, who self-identify as unitarians (Al-Muwaḥḥidūn/Muwahhideen). Jethro of Midian is considered an ancestor of all Druze and revered as their spiritual founder as well as chief prophet.

The Druze faith is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Akhenaten, Hamza, and Al Hakim. The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational text of the Druze faith, alongside supplemental texts such as the Hindu Epistles of India.

The Druze faith incorporates elements of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, Ismailism, Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology known to esoterically interpret religious scriptures and to highlight the role of the mind and truthfulness. The Druze follow theophany, and believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul. At the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (Al Aaqal Al Kulli).

The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with about 1.5 million adherents, and are found primarily in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, with small communities in Jordan and outside the Middle East. 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 Druzes"). The Druze's social customs differ markedly from those of Muslims or Christians, and they are known to form a close-knit, cohesive community but also integrate fully in their adopted homelands.

The Druze strictly avoid iconography but use five colors (“Five Limits” خمس حدود khams ḥudūd) as a religious symbol: green, red, yellow, blue, and white. Each color pertains to a metaphysical power called ḥaad, literally 'a limit'. Each ḥaad is color-coded in the following manner:

• Green for ʻAql "the Universal Mind/Intelligence/Nous",
• Red for Nafs "the Universal Soul/Anima mundi",
• Yellow for Kalima "the Word/Logos",
• Blue for Sabiq "the Potentiality/Cause/Precedent", and
• White for Tali "the Future/Effect/Immanence".

The colors can be arranged in vertically descending stripes (as a flag) or a five-pointed star.

• The stripes are a diagrammatic cut of the spheres in neoplatonic philosophy.
• The five-pointed star embodies the golden ratio, phi, as a symbol of temperance and a life of moderation.

The Druze accept 'The Seven Precepts' which form the core of Druze faith, include Truthfulness in speech, Belief in one God, Protection of others, and The belief that every hour of every day is a time to reckon oneself before God.

Druze recognize the major prophets Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Each major prophets had seven minor prophets; each of the latter had twelve disciples, including Daniel, Plato and other individuals from Biblical and Greek history.

In the United States, the two most famous Druze are probably the late host of American Top 40 Casey Kasem, and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin).

Druze Women

Druze women can attain positions of religious significance, and some have indeed achieved high rank. Regarding personal status, their rights are almost identical to those of men; actually, Druze women are preferred over men in joining the uqqal (sages), because they are considered to be better "spiritually prepared". Consequently, there are more women than men among the uqqal (sages). Female uqqal take part in the religious assemblies in the hilwah (prayer house), but sit separately from the men. Source

Media

• Staying Druze in America PBS Video
• Trials and tribulations of a Druze beauty pageant contestant PBS Video

Books

• Epistles of Wisdom
• The Druze Faith, by Sāmī Nasīb Makārim
• The Olive and the Tree: The Secret Strength of the Druze By Ruth K. Westheimer, Gil Sedan
• Origins of the Druze People and Religion, by Philip K. Hitti

Links

• Druze Research and Publications Institute
• The Druze and Vedic Connections
• Syrian Druze Refugees
• Druze History Wikipedia
• Origins of the Druze People and Religion, by Philip K. Hitti, [1924]

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List of Druze

Media

1. Mona Abou Hamza - Lebanese TV presenter
2. Raghida Dergham - Lebanese American journalist
3. Ziad Hamzeh - Syrian-American filmmaker
4. Casey Kasem - American TV & radio presenter, of Lebanese descent
5. Nahida Nakad - Lebanese French senior correspondent and TV executive
6. Faisal al-Qassem - Syrian television talkshow host

Other

1. Amal Clooney - Lebanese-British lawyer, married to George Clooney
2. Azzam Azzam - Israeli textile worker, former Israeli prisoner in Egypt
3. Angelina Fares - Israeli beauty pageant, #1, #2, #3 , #4
4. Samir Kuntar - Lebanese militant
5. Majdi Halabi - disappeared and discovered Israeli soldier

Visual arts

1. Nabil Kanso - Lebanese-American painter
2. Michael Netzer (Nassar) - American-Israeli graphical artist

Performing arts

1. Asmahan (Amaal al-Atrash) - Syrian Lebanese Egyptian female singer, and actress
2. Farid al-Atrash - Syrian Lebanese Egyptian male singer, composer, and actor
3. Ramy Ayach - Lebanese singer
4. Fahd Ballan - Syrian male singer

Literature

1. Naim Araidi - Israeli writer and poet in Hebrew and Arabic
2. Reda Mansour - Israeli Hebrew poet and writer and former ambassador in Ecuador
3. Salman Masalha - Israeli poet, essayist and researcher
4. Samih al-Qasim - Palestinian-Israeli poet

Religion

1. Suliman Bashear - Palestinian-Israeli scholar of Islam
2. Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah - central religious figure of the faith and sixth Imam-Caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate
3. Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad - founding religious leader
4. Sheikh Ameen Tarif (1898–1993) Qadi, or spiritual leader, of the Druze in Israel from 1928 till his death in 1993. Was regarded by many within the community as the preeminent spiritual authority in the Druze world.
5. Sheikh Mowafak Tarif (b. 1953) Druz religious leader in Israel
6. Abu Mohammad Jawad Walieddine (1916–2012) - Head of Authority of Senior Sheikhs

Security

1. Brig. General (ret.) Imad Fares (b. 1961) Retired Brig. General in the Israeli Defense Force. He won acclaim as the commander of the Givati Brigade (infantry) from 2001–2003.
2. Salim Hatoum - Syrian Major. Led overthrow of the government of Amin al-Hafez in 1966.
3. Yousef Mishleb Retired Maj. General in the Israel Defense Forces serving last in the position as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
4. Nada Nadim Prouty, née Al-Aouar (born c. 1970). American former intelligence professional of Lebanese Druz descent who worked in counter-terrorism with the FBI and CIA. She later in life converted to Catholicism.
5. Colonel Ghassan Alian - Israeli commanding officer of the Golani Brigade (infantry).

Sports

1. Zidan Amar - Israeli footballer
2. Ahad Azam - Israeli footballer
3. Wiyam Amashe - Israeli footballer
4. Amir Nasar A Din - Israeli footballer
5. Sari Falah - Israeli footballer
6. Amir Halaby - Israeli footballer
7. Maaran Lala - Israeli footballer
8. Nazar Mahmud - Israeli figure skater
9. Kenny Hasan Sayef - American-Israeli footballer

Politics

Israel

1. • Labib Hussein Abu Rokan - Israeli MP and religious judge
2. • Abdullah Abu Ma'aruf - Israeli MP and physician
3. • Hamad Amar - Israeli MP
4. • Assad Assad - Israeli MP, army colonel, and diplomat
5. • Zeidan Atashi - Israeli MP and diplomat
6. • Amal Nasser el-Din - Israeli MP and author
7. • Salah-Hassan Hanifes - Israeli MP
8. • Ayoob Kara - Israeli MP, deputy speaker, and deputy minister
9. • Jabr Moade - Israeli MP and deputy minister
10. • Mohamed Nafa - Israeli MP
11. • Said Nafa - Israeli MP and lawyer
12. • Shachiv Shnaan - Israeli member of parliament
13. • Salah Tarif - Israeli minister, MP, and army captain
14. • Majalli Wahabi - Israeli MP, IDF lieutenant-colonel, and acting president

Lebanon

1. • Ghazi Aridi - Lebanese minister and MP
2. • Majid Arslan - Lebanese Defense Minister for over 40 years
3. • Shakib Arslan - Lebanese politician, writer, poet and historian
4. • Talal Arslan - Lebanese minister and MP
5. • Fakhr-al-Din II - Ruler (emir) of Lebanon from 1590 to 1633; united Lebanon and parts of Syria and Palestine under his rule
6. • Kamal Jumblatt - Lebanese MP, minister, writer, author, and poet
7. • Walid Jumblatt - Lebanese minister and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party
8. • Marwan Hamadeh - Lebanese minister and MP
9. • Marwan Kheireddin - Lebanese minister

Syria

1. • Sultan Pasha al-Atrash - Syrian Leader & Commander of the Syrian Revolt
2. • Mansur al-Atrash - Syrian politician, Interim head of state
3. • Shibli al-Aysami - former Syrian Vice president and Gen Sec of the Ba'th Arab

Venezuela

1. • Tarek El Aissami - Venezuelan interior and justice minister