The mysterious religion of the Druze

 -Israeli Druze leader Sheikh Ameen
Tareef (1898-1993) accompanied by
Druze notables
Courtesy: sheikh-ameen-tareef.net

The Druze, are members of a unique religion in the Middle East who had split from Shia Islam during the 11th century. Their faith began as a movement in Egypt, which was influenced mostly by Greek philosophy and Gnosticism, while incorporating elements from Abrahamic religions and other philosophies. According to Druze tradition the birth of their religion was a re-appearance of an ancient and purified monotheistic faith. From the beginning of its existence, the Druze community was under severe persecutions which caused their emigration to southern Lebanon. Over the years they spread throughout the region, and today the estimated 1,000,000 members of the community are found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. The Druze are Arabic speakers with their own unique dialect, similar to Syrian dialects of Arabic.

The principals of the Druze religion are considered a secret and known only to the minority of the Wiseman. The prayer-houses of the Druze are called khalwa and their sacred scriptures are the Epistles of Wisdom (Kitab Al Hikma), which include 111 texts replicated by hand only.

Shrouded in secrecy the known basics of the Druze religion are:

• Monotheism and the prohibition of paganism

• Belief in reincarnation

• Acceptance of the Ten Commandments with "Thou shalt not kill" and "Thou shalt not commits adultery" as leading precepts.

• Recognition of all Prophets from Judaism, Christianity and Islam with five prophets of the Druze, led by Jethro

• Monogamy

Nebi Shoaib (prophet Jethro), druze holy site in Israel
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

The Druze belief that this world is only a prelude to the afterlife is the reason why Druze have no aspirations for national independence. They believe in being loyal to the country in which they live. In 1957 Israel had officially recognized the Druze at their request, as a religious community. This recognition was unprecedented due to the fact that no country has officially recognized Druze faith as a religion of its own. Since that year the Druze are enlisted to serve in the IDF, with a high proportion of serving officers and excelling warriors.

Biblical and vintage Holy Land memorabilia

:available in our Etsy shop