Who Are The Druze - Are They Muslim?

• published: 27 May 2015
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The Druze (/druːz/; Arabic: درزي‎ derzī or durzī, plural دروز durūz; Hebrew: דרוזי‎ drūzī plural דרוזים, druzim), are an ethnoreligious esoteric group originating from the Near East who self identify as unitarians (Al-Muwaḥḥidūn/Muwahhideen). According to the narrative of the Druze, Jethro is considered an ancestor of all Druze and revered as the spiritual founder as well as chief prophet, who lived in Midian. 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 Epistles of India. The Druze faith incorporates elements of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, Ismailism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism 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 theopany, which is the belief that God manifests himself in a human form and 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). Although dwarfed by other larger communities, the Druze community played an important role in shaping the history of the Levant, and continues to play a large political role there. However, as an ethnic and religious minority in every country in which they live, they have frequently experienced persecution. Druze are not considered to be Muslims and often labeled as infidels (Murtadun). Ali az-Zahir of the Fatimid Caliphate campaigned to exterminate the faith which resulted in one of the largest genocides in history with Druze communities in Antioch, Aleppo, and throughout northern Syria being ethnically cleansed. Further attempts were made by the Mamluks and Ottomans. Most recently, Druze were targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in order to cleanse Syria and neighboring countries of non-Islamic influence. 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 people reside primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. The Institute of Druze Studies estimates that forty to fifty percent of Druze live in Syria, thirty to forty percent in Lebanon, six to seven percent in Israel, and one or two percent in Jordan. About two percent of the Druze population are also scattered within other countries in the Middle East. Large communities of Druze also live outside the Middle East, in Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, the United States, and West Africa. They use the Arabic language and follow a social pattern very similar to those of the other peoples of the Levant (eastern Mediterranean). The number of Druze people worldwide exceeds one million, with the vast majority residing in the Levant. The name Druze is derived from the name of Muhammad bin Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazī (from Persian darzi, "seamster") who was an early preacher. Although the Druze consider ad-Darazī a heretic, the name has been used to identify them.