The Maronite Eparchy of Byblos accused the group of "offend [ing] religious and human values and insult [ing] Christian beliefs," while figures ranging from members of parliament (MPs) to private citizens threatened violence. [240][241] The fatwa declares that the Druze are Muslims because they recite the twofold Shahada, and believe in the Qur'an and monotheism and do not oppose Islam in word or deed. [83], In an attempt to gain the support of al-Hakim, al-Darazi started preaching that al-Hakim and his ancestors were the incarnation of God. [47][48] The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. [184], The Druze believe in the unity of God, and are often known as the "People of Monotheism" or simply "Monotheists". [106][107][108][109] Amicable relations between the two groups prevailed throughout most of history, though a few exceptions exist, including the 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. [25], Non-religion is not recognized by the state. [citation needed], Al-Hakim was replaced by his underage son, Al al-Zahir. [160][161] Both religions venerate Elijah,[162] Job and other common figures. It is obligatory to kill their scholars and religious figures so that they do not misguide others",[97] which in that setting would have legitimized violence against them as apostates. [215], Historically the relationship between the Druze and Muslims has been characterized by intense persecution. Laque Pride supports the enacting of a unified Civil Code for the Personal Status Law.[28]. [6][7] It is also estimated that a large proportion of its population are refugees (1.5million out of a bit over 6million in 2017), which affects statistics. 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. About 2 km out of town in the direction of Beiteddine is Castle Moussa ( +961 5 500 106 ), a unique waxworks museum. The spies set about agitating trouble and soiling the reputation of the Druze. 19, No. In 1305, after the issuing of a fatwa by the scholar Ibn Taymiyyah, calling for jihad against all non-Sunni Muslims like the Druze, Alawites, Ismaili, and Twelver Shia Muslims, al-Malik al-Nasir inflicted a disastrous defeat on the Druze at Keserwan, and forced outward compliance on their part to Orthodox Sunni Islam. [297] Figures in the Hebrew Bible such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses are considered important prophets of God in the Druze faith, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history. Druze make pilgrimages to this site on the holiday of Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb. The divine call or unitarian call is the Druze period of time that was opened at sunset on Thursday 30 May 1017 by Ad-Darazi. [194], Both faiths give a prominent place to Jesus:[160][161] In Christianity, Jesus is the central figure, seen as the messiah. Unlike the spiritual leaders, the authority of the Shaykh al-Aql is limited to the country he is elected in, though in some instances spiritual leaders are elected to this position. The Druze are located in the areas known as the Metn, Gharb, Chouf, Wadi-al Taym, Beirut and its suburbs, which are the modern day districts of Metn, Baabda, Aley, Chouf, Rashaya, Hasbaya and Beirut. Some claim to be Muslim or Christian in order to avoid persecution; some do not. Let those who are present convey this message unto the absent so that it may be known by both the distinguished and the common people. [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). Fakhr-al-Din II was the first ruler in modern Lebanon to open the doors of his country to foreign Western influences. By 1018, al-Darazi had gathered around him partisans "Darazites" who believed that universal reason became incarnated in Adam at the beginning of the world, was then passed to the prophets, then into Ali, and then into his descendants, the Fatimid Caliphs. [202], Mate (in Levantine Arabic, /mte/) is a popular drink consumed by the Druze brought to the Levant by Syrian migrants from Argentina in the 19th century. , durz) are an Arab and Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group[20][21][22][23] from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad and ancient Greek philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Zeno of Citium. Currency: Lebanese pound. Lebanon Maps & Facts - World Atlas [13], Circumcision is widely practiced by the Druze. This propaganda also was broadcast in the Arab world, mainly Egypt. [45], The Druze do not permit outsiders to convert to their religion. He hath done thus so that when you relinquish your previous beliefs and doctrines ye shall not indeed lean on such causes of impediments and pretensions. Secular student clubs from Saint Joseph University (USJ), the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), as the American University of Beirut (AUB) also participated in the march. [235] In contrast, according to Ibn Abidin, whose work Radd al-Muhtar 'ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar is still considered the authoritative text of Hanafi fiqh today,[236] the Druze are neither Muslims nor apostates. Marginalized communities . [5], Lebanon has a community of around 13,000 Hindus. 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. from God. [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. With a community of little more than 100,000 in 1949, or roughly three percent of the Syrian population, the Druze of Syria's southwestern mountains constituted a potent force in Syrian politics and played a leading role in the nationalist struggle against the French. The groups launched attacks on the Israeli military and its ally, the South Lebanon Army (SLA), as well as foreign powers in Lebanon. [175] The soul embodies the mind and is responsible for transmigration and the character of oneself. [260] The Druze faith incorporates some elements of Christianity,[31][32] in addition to adoption of Christian elements on the Epistles of Wisdom. In the Druze scriptural view, Tajalli takes a central stage. Lebanese Christians are divided into many groups, several types of Catholics for instance the Maronites and Greek Catholics (Melkites), Greek Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox (among which are Syriacs, Armenians and Copts), Church of the East (Assyrians) and Protestants. [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. In the first century, the five were represented by Jesus Christ,[160][161] John the Baptist,[162] Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, and Saint Luke. [303] This haplogroup originates from prehistoric South Asia and has spread from Pakistan into southern Iran. They often use Hebrew characters to write their Arabic dialect online. [178], One of the most important features of the Druze village having a central role in social life is the khalwata house of prayer, retreat and religious unity. 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"). Contact Info: Joshua's Place. Through a clever policy of bribery and warfare, he extended his domains to cover all of modern Lebanon, some of Syria and northern Galilee. No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e., religious) balance. Similarities between the Druze and Christians include commonalities in their view of monogamous marriage, as well as the forbidding of divorce and remarriage,[39] in addition to the belief in the oneness of God and theophany. [196] Druze Arabic dialect is distinguished from others by retention of the phoneme /q/,[196] the use of which by Druze is particularly prominent in the mountains and less so in urban areas. The Sultan had Fakhr-al-Din and his sons killed on 13 April 1635 in Istanbul, bringing an end to an era in the history of Lebanon, which would not regain its current boundaries until it was proclaimed a mandate state and republic in 1920. [99], Consequently, the 16th and 17th centuries were to witness a succession of armed Druze rebellions against the Ottomans, countered by repeated Ottoman punitive expeditions against the Chouf, in which the Druze population of the area was severely depleted and many villages destroyed. God is "the whole of existence", rather than "above existence" or on his throne, which would make him "limited". 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. Those Druze are not granted access to the Druze holy literature or allowed to attend the initiated religious meetings of the uqql. Getting There Just an hour's drive of Beirut, Zahle is easily accessible. Some scholars maintain that Israel has tried to separate the Druze from other Arab communities, and that the effort has influenced the way Israel's Druze perceive their modern identity. He taught also that Muslims cannot accept Druze penitence nor keep them alive, and Druze property should be confiscated, and their women enslaved. [140] The number of Druze parliament members usually exceeds their proportion in the Israeli population, and they are integrated within several political parties. The Druze believe he went into Occultation with Hamza ibn Ali and three other prominent preachers, leaving the care of the "Unitarian missionary movement" to a new leader, al-Muqtana Baha'uddin. [292] The Jewish-Druze partnership was often referred as "a covenant of blood" (Hebrew: , brit damim) in recognition of the common military yoke carried by the two peoples for the security of the country. Greek Catholics are found across the country but in particular in districts on the eastern slopes of the Lebanese mountain range and in Zahle where they are a majority. Thus, God is perceived as the Lahut [the divine] who manifests His Light in the Station (Maqaam) of the Nasut [material realm] without the Nasut becoming Lahut. ISBN 978-0-244-23549-9. [191], Marriage outside the Druze faith is forbidden,[68] and if a Druze marries a non-Druze, the Druze may be ostracized and marginalized by their community. [138][139] In 1632, Kk Ahmed Pasha was named Lord of Damascus. 28,246,000 2 Form Of Government: unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (People's Assembly [250]) [citation needed] The movement culminated with the 185960 massacre and defeat of the Maronites by the Druze. This region was subject to various foreign conquests for much of its history, including by the Romans, Arabs, and Ottomans. 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. 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. Lebanon Religion: Discover the Beliefs of This Middle-Eastern Country If it is a mausoleum the Druze call it mazr and if it is a shrine they call it maqm. Box 898 Lebanon, OH 45036. In 1038, two years after the death of al-Zahir, the Druze movement was able to resume because the new leadership that replaced him had friendly political ties with at least one prominent Druze leader. [222] Those acts of persecution were meant to eradicate the whole community according to the Druze narrative. 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? The relationship between Druze and Christians has been characterized largely by harmony and peaceful coexistence. 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. The most influential of al-uqql become Ajawd, recognized religious leaders, and from this group the spiritual leaders of the Druze are assigned. Statistics Lebanon, an independent firm, estimates 67.8 percent of the citizen population is Muslim (31.9 percent Sunni, 31.2 percent Shia, and small percentages of Alawites and Ismailis). [103], During the OttomanHabsburg War (16831699), Ahmad Ma'n collaborated in a rebellion against the Ottomans which extended beyond his death. The word Druzes, in an early Hebrew edition of his travels, occurs as Dogziyin, but it is clear that this is a scribal error. [204][203], The Druze faith is often classified as a branch of Isma'ili; although according to various scholars Druze faith "diverge substantially from Islam, both Sunni and Shia". Asian and African Studies: Vol. found that the Israeli Druze people of the Mount Carmel region have among the highest rate of the newly evolved ASPM- Haplogroup D, at 52.2% occurrence of the approximately 6,000-year-old allele. Statistics Lebanon estimates 32.4 percent of the population is Christian. [304], Cruciani, in 2007, found E1b1b1a2 (E-V13) [a subclade of E1b1b1a (E-M78)] in high levels (>10% of the male population) in Cypriot and Druze lineages. The remaining population adheres to the Druze religion or other religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, the Baha'i faith, etc. Lebanese Protestants are concentrated mainly within the area of Beirut and Greater Beirut. 1 Tyre Coast Nature Reserve Understand [ edit] Southern Lebanon is a historian and archaeologist's delight, with a history dating back to the Assyrians over 6,000 years ago. [5] He proclaimed that God had become human and taken the form of man. For those of the Druze faith, their future depends on it", "About the Faith of the Mo'wa'he'doon Druze by Moustafa F. Moukarim", "Territorial Awareness in the 1834 Palestinian Revolt", "Shishakli and the Druzes: Integration and intransigence", "Localities(1) and Population, by Population Group, District, Sub-District and Natural Region", "Trump paves way for Israel to expand settlements in Golan", "Netanyahu Seeks to Name a Golan Heights Settlement for President Trump", "ISIS kidnaps dozens of women, girls in deadly Syria raids", "Eid al-Adha celebrated differently by Druze, Alawites", "Refugee Review Tribunal: What is the attitude of the Druze community toward inter-religious marriages? The two faiths share a common place of origin in the Middle East and consider themselves to be monotheistic. Subsequently, the Druze chiefs of the Gharb placed their considerable military experience at the disposal of the Mamluk rulers of Egypt (12501516); first, to assist them in putting an end to what remained of Crusader rule in coastal Levant, and later to help them safeguard the Lebanese coast against Crusader retaliation by sea. Image credit: Diego Fiore/Shutterstock Lebanon has at least 18 known religious groups. 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. Veracity in speech and the truthfulness of the tongue. In October 2019, and until August 2020, a series of civil protests ensued in Lebanon, now known as the October Revolution condemning sectarian rule amongst a myriad of other issues plaguing their country. [273] According to the Druze manuscripts Jesus is the Greatest Imam and the incarnation of Ultimate Reason (Akl) on earth and the first cosmic principle (Hadd),[273][174] and regards Jesus and Hamza ibn Ali as the incarnations of one of the five great celestial powers, who form part of their system. See the new biography of this Prince, based on original sources, by TJ Gorton: Renaissance Emir: a Druze Warlord at the Court of the Medici (London, Quartet Books, 2013), for an updated view of his life. Lebanon country profile - BBC News The BBC describes Jumblatt as "the leader of Lebanon's most powerful Druze clan and heir to a leftist political dynasty". [69] He assembled a group of scholars that met regularly in the Raydan Mosque, near the Al-Hakim Mosque. [125][pageneeded], After the Shishakli's military campaign, the Druze community lost much of its political influence, but many Druze military officers played important roles in the Ba'ath government currently ruling Syria. [136] In 2010, the population of Israeli Druze citizens grew to over 125,000. The clashes ranged from Antioch to Alexandria, where tens of thousands of Druze were slaughtered by the Fatimid army,[54] "this mass persecution known by the Druze as the period of the mihna". Sunnis and Shi'ites [290] Since the establishment of the state of Israel, the Druze have demonstrated solidarity with Israel and distanced themselves from Arab and Islamic radicalism. In Druze Arab homes and towns in Israel, the primary language spoken is Arabic, while some Hebrew words have entered the colloquial Arabic dialect. 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. The primary religious affiliation in South Lebanon, Oregon is Protestant. [29] The Druze faith incorporates elements of Isma'ilism,[30] Christianity,[31][32] Gnosticism, Neoplatonism,[31][32] Zoroastrianism,[33][34] Buddhism,[35][36] Hinduism, Pythagoreanism,[37][38] and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology based on an esoteric interpretation of scripture, which emphasizes the role of the mind and truthfulness. Jumblatt's post-2005 position diverged sharply from the tradition of his family. 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. This resulted in friction with the new caliph who clashed militarily with the Druze community. It is a testament to the love of a woman and the stubbornness of its creator. Christianity is the second largest religion, accounting for about 40.5% of the total population of Lebanon. [97] Having cleared the holy land of the Franks, the Mamluk sultans of Egypt turned their attention to the schismatic Muslims of Syria. [117], Although most Druze no longer consider themselves Muslim, Al Azhar of Egypt recognized them in 1959 as one of the Islamic sects in the Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa due to political reasons, as Gamal Abdel Nasser saw it as a tool to spread his appeal and influence across the entire Arab world. [237], In 1959, in an ecumenical move driven by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser's effort to broaden his political appeal after the establishment of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria in 1958,[238] the Islamic scholar Mahmud Shaltut at Al Azhar University in Cairo classified the Druze as Muslims,[239] even though most Druze no longer consider themselves Muslim. [123][pageneeded], During the four years of Adib Shishakli's rule in Syria (December 1949 to February 1954) (on 25 August 1952: Adib al-Shishakli created the Arab Liberation Movement (ALM), a progressive party with pan-Arabist and socialist views),[124] the Druze community was subjected to a heavy attack by the Syrian government. USA. Arab and Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious group of the Levant, Toggle Druze and other religions subsection, Druze as a mixture of Western Asian tribes. The president of the country is traditionally a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. [50] Lebanon - United States Department of State A similar term, Al-Mashriq ("Where the Sun Rises"), exists in Arabic, although this term refers to a broader geographic region. [50] As a religious minority in every country in which they are found, they have frequently experienced persecution by different Muslim regimes, including contemporary Islamic extremism.[51][52][53]. According to Jewish contemporary literature, the Druze, who were visited and described in 1165 by Benjamin of Tudela, were pictured as descendants of the Itureans,[299] an Ismaelite Arab tribe, which used to reside in the northern parts of the Golan plateau through Hellenistic and Roman periods. A 2020 study on remains from Canaanaite (Bronze Age southern Levantine) populations suggests a significant degree of genetic continuity in currently Arabic-speaking Levantine populations (including the Druze, Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians), as well as in most Jewish groups (including Sephardi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, and Maghrebi Jews) from the populations of the Bronze Age Levant, suggesting that the aforementioned groups all derive more than half of their overall ancestry (atDNA) from Canaanite / Bronze Age Levantine populations,[310][311] albeit with varying sources and degrees of admixture from differing host or invading populations depending on each group.