Lebanese Druze

Lebanese Druze (Arabic: دروز لبنان‎, romanized: durūz lubnān) are Lebanese people who adhere to the Druze faith, a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion, and an ethnoreligious[1] esoteric group originating from the Near East who self identify as unitarians (Arabic: موحدين‎, romanized: muwaḥḥidīn).[2]

Druze
A Druze woman wearing a tantour during the 1870s in Chouf, Lebanon
Languages
Vernacular:
Lebanese Arabic
Religion
Druze

The Lebanese Druze people are believed to constitute about 5.2 percent[3] of the total population of Lebanon and have around 1.5 million members worldwide.[4] The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or "believers in one God," are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut.[3]

Under the Lebanese political division (Parliament of Lebanon Seat Allocation) the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities in Lebanon (Sunni, Shia, Druze, Alawi, and Ismaili), even though the Druze are no longer considered Muslim.[5][6][7] Lebanon's constitution was intended to guarantee political representation for each of the nation's ethno-religious groups.[8]

The Maronite Catholic and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through the ruling and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.[9] Under the terms of an unwritten agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the Chief of the General Staff must be a Druze.[10]

History
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org
Lebanon religious groups distribution
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups

The Druze faith does not follow the Five Pillars of Islam, such as fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.[11][12] The Druze beliefs incorporate elements of Ismailism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies. The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid "People of Unitarianism or Monotheism" or "al-Muwaḥḥidūn."

"The Druze follow a lifestyle of isolation where no conversion is allowed, neither out of, or into, the religion. When Druze live among people of other religions, they try to blend in, in order to protect their religion and their own safety. They can pray as Muslims, or as Christians, depending on where they are. This system is apparently changing in modern times, where more security has allowed Druze to be more open about their religious belonging."[11]

The Tanukhids inaugurated the Druze community in Lebanon when most of them accepted and adopted the new message that was being preached in the 11th century, due to their leaderships close ties with then Fatimid ruler Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.[13]

The relationship between the Druze and Christians in Lebanon has been characterized by harmony and coexistence,[14][15][16][17] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.[18][19]

The Druze community in Lebanon played an important role in the formation of the modern state of Lebanon, and even though they are a minority they play an important role in the Lebanese political scene. Before and during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90), the Druze were in favor of Pan-Arabism and Palestinian resistance represented by the PLO. Most of the community supported the Progressive Socialist Party formed by their leader Kamal Jumblatt and they fought alongside other leftist and Palestinian parties against the Lebanese Front that was mainly constituted of Christians. 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 August 2001, Maronite Catholic Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir toured the predominantly Druze Chouf region of Mount Lebanon and visited Mukhtara, the ancestral stronghold of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. The tumultuous reception that Sfeir received not only signified a historic reconciliation between Maronites and Druze, who fought a bloody war in 1983–84, but underscored the fact that the banner of Lebanese sovereignty had broad multi-confessional appeal[20] and was a cornerstone for the Cedar Revolution in 2005. Jumblatt's post-2005 position diverged sharply from the tradition of his family. He also accused Damascus of being behind the 1977 assassination of his father, Kamal Jumblatt, expressing for the first time what many knew he privately suspected. The BBC describes Jumblatt as "the smartest leader of Lebanon's most powerful Druze clan and heir to a leftist political dynasty".[21] The second largest political party supported by Druze is the Lebanese Democratic Party led by Prince Talal Arslan, the son of Lebanese independence hero Emir Majid Arslan.

In May 10, 2008 as part of the 2008 Conflict, clashes occurred between Hezbollah forces and Druze militias in their mountain resulting is casualties on both sides.[22] The clashes started in Aytat, near Kayfoun and soon expanded to cover many spots in Mount Lebanon including Baysur, Shuweifat and Aley. Most of the fighting was concentrated on Hill 888. After negotiations a ceasefire was called in from outside the country before Hezbollah could call in artillery support. Releases from Hezbollah leaders in 2016 stated that bombing the mountain with close-range artillery from the South and longer-ranged artillery from Syria were both an option and greatly considered.[23]

Lebanese Christians and Druze became a genetic isolate in the predominantly Islamic world.[24]

Demographics
Prophet Job shrine in Lebanon the Chouf region.

The Druze are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut.[3] The Lebanese Druze are estimated to constitute 5.2 percent of Lebanon's population.[3] They live in 136 villages in Hasbaya, Rashaya, Chouf, Aley, Marjeyoun and Beirut,[25] and they constitute the majority of the population in the city of Aley, Baakleen, Hasbaya and Rashaya.[26] The Druze make up more than half of the population of the Aley District, and they constitute about a third of the residents of the Rachaya District, and they constitute about the quarter of residents of the Chouf District and the Matn District.[27]

Notable people
Fakhr-al-Din II
  • Fakhr-al-Din II (1572–1635), a Druze prince and an early leader of the Emirate of Chouf.
  • Said Abou Chahine (1915–2018), a poet, author and philosopher.
  • Emir Shakib Arslan (1869–1946), a Druze prince and notable Islamic scholar.
  • Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983), a Druze leader and head of the Arslan feudal Druze ruling family, and he is the leader of the final independence movement that caused the independence of Lebanon.
  • Kamal Jumblatt (1917–1977), a prominent Lebanese progressive socialist politician.
  • Casey Kasem (1932–2014), Lebanese-American born in Detroit radio personality/DJ
  • Nabil Kanso (born 1946), a Lebanese-American painter.
  • Akram Chehayeb (born 1947), a Lebanese politician, member of parliament,and Minister of Agriculture.
  • Walid Jumblatt (born 1949), a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP).
  • Raghida Dergham (born 1953), a Lebanese-American journalist based in New York.
  • Ghazi Aridi (born 1954), a Lebanese politician, and member of parliament.
  • Samir Kuntar (1962–2015), member of the Palestine Liberation Front representing Hezbollah
  • Emir Talal Arslan (born 1965), Lebanese politician and the head of the mostly Druze Lebanese Democratic Party.
  • Mona Abou Hamze (born 1972), TV presenter.
  • Amal Clooney (born 1978), a London-based British-Lebanese lawyer, activist, and author. (Druze father and Sunni mother.)
  • Ramy Ayach (born 1980), singer/ popstar.
  • Raya Meddine, actress.
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See also
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Druze
Related topics
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References
  1. Chatty, Dawn (2010-03-15). Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521817929.
  2. Doniger, Wendy (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster, Inc. ISBN 0877790442.
  3. Lebanon 2015 International Religious Freedom Report U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2019-04-23.
  4. Sewell, Abby (2017-09-15). "Finding a life partner is hard enough. For those of the Druze faith, their future depends on it". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
  5. James Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. https://books.google.ca/books?id=wXO8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 Lebanon Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments
  7. De McLaurin, Ronald (1979). The Political Role of Minority Groups in the Middle East. Michigan University Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780030525964. Theologically, one would have to conclude that the Druze are not Muslims. They do not accept the five pillars of Islam. In place of these principles the Druze have instituted the seven precepts noted above..
  8. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. 2009. ISBN 9781438126760.
  9. Deeb, Marius (2013). Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah: The Unholy Alliance and Its War on Lebanon. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817916664. the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.
  10. United Nations Development Programme : Programme on Governance in the Arab Region : Elections : Lebanon Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  11. "Druze". druze.org.au. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14.
  12. James Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  13. William Harris (19 Jul 2012). Lebanon: A History, 600-2011 (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 46. ISBN 9780195181111.
  14. Hazran, Yusri (2013). The Druze Community and the Lebanese State: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation. Routledge. p. 32. ISBN 9781317931737. the Druze had been able to live in harmony with the Christian
  15. Artzi, Pinḥas (1984). Confrontation and Coexistence. Bar-Ilan University Press,. p. 166. ISBN 9789652260499. .. Europeans who visited the area during this period related that the Druze "love the Christians more than the other believers," and that they "hate the Turks, the Muslims and the Arabs [Bedouin] with an intense hatred.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  16. CHURCHILL (1862). The Druzes and the Maronites. Montserrat Abbey Library. p. 25. ..the Druzes and Christians lived together in the most perfect harmony and good-will..
  17. Hobby (1985). Near East/South Asia Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. p. 53. the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains in the past lived in complete harmony..
  18. Fawaz, L.T. (1994). An Occasion for War: Civil Conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520087828. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  19. Vocke, Harald (1978). The Lebanese war: its origins and political dimensions. C. Hurst. p. 10. ISBN 0-903983-92-3.
  20. Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Meib, May 2003, archived from the original (dossier) on July 20, 2009
  21. "Who's who in Lebanon". BBC News. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  22. "Saturday's live coverage of the war in Lebanon". Ya Libnan. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  23. Kandy Ringer. "Lebanon's Fighting Spreads to Druze Heartland". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  24. Haber et al. 2013. Quote:1-"We show that religious affiliation had a strong impact on the genomes of the Levantines. In particular, conversion of the region's populations to Islam appears to have introduced major rearrangements in populations' relations through admixture with culturally similar but geographically remote populations, leading to genetic similarities between remarkably distant populations like Jordanians, Moroccans, and Yemenis. Conversely, other populations, like Christians and Druze, became genetically isolated in the new cultural environment. We reconstructed the genetic structure of the Levantines and found that a pre-Islamic expansion Levant was more genetically similar to Europeans than to Middle Easterners."
    2-"The predominantly Muslim populations of Syrians, Palestinians and Jordanians cluster on branches with other Muslim populations as distant as Morocco and Yemen."
    3-Lebanese Christians and all Druze cluster together, and Lebanese Muslims are extended towards Syrians, Palestinians, and Jordanians, which are close to Saudis and Bedouins."
  25. تعرف على طائفة "الموحدين العرب" الدروز, BBC
  26. تعرف على طائفة "الموحدين العرب" الدروز, BBC
  27. Barakat, Halim (2011). Lebanon in Strife: Student Preludes to the Civil War. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292739819. the Druzes make up almost half the district, of Aley, one third of Rashaya, and more than a quarter of Shuf and Matn...
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