Posted on 07/16/2025 10:09:57 PM PDT by Cronos
Syria has been wracked by a new wave of deadly sectarian violence that has placed the spotlight on the Druze minority at the center of rising tensions with Israel.
Dozens of people were killed this week after clashes between government loyalists and Druze militias in the southern city of Suwayda, prompting Syrian forces to intervene. That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes, as Israel – citing a commitment to protect the Druze – expands its footprint in southern Syria.
.. Syria’s military entered Suwayda, a stronghold for the Druze community in the country’s south, on Tuesday after clashes broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes, reigniting fears of attacks against minorities.
..Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will intensify its attacks on government forces in Suwayda if they do not withdraw from the area.
“The Syrian regime must let the Druze in Suwayda go and withdraw its forces,” Katz said in a statement shared by his spokesperson. “The (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area – and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.”
..Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.”
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
The Islamic State and al-Queda both consider the Druze to be heretics and want to wipe them out. Assad protected them and the other religious minorities.
The Druze (/druːz/ DROOZ; Arabic: دَرْزِيّ, darzī or دُرْزِيّ durzī, pl. دُرُوز, durūz), who call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (lit. 'the monotheists' or 'the unitarians'),[23] are an Arab esoteric religious group[24][25][26] from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul.[27][28]
Although the Druze faith developed from Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims.[29][21][30] They maintain Arabic language and culture as integral parts of their identity,[31][32][18] with Arabic being their primary language.[33] Most Druze religious practices are kept secret,[34] and conversion to their religion is not permitted for outsiders.[35] Interfaith marriages are rare and strongly discouraged. They differentiate between spiritual individuals, known as "uqqāl", who hold the faith's secrets, and secular ones, known as "juhhāl", who focus on worldly matters.[36] Druze believe that, after completing the cycle of rebirth through successive reincarnations, the soul reunites with the Cosmic Mind (al-ʻaql al-kullī).
The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational and central text of the Druze faith.[37] The Druze faith originated in Isma'ilism (a branch of Shia Islam),[38] and has been influenced by a diverse range of traditions, including Christianity,[39][40][41] Gnosticism, Neoplatonism,[39][40] Zoroastrianism,[42][43] Manichaeism,[44][45] Pythagoreanism.[46][47][page needed] This has led to the development of a distinct and secretive theology, characterized by an esoteric interpretation of scripture that emphasizes the importance of the mind and truthfulness.[23][47] Druze beliefs include the concepts of theophany and reincarnation.[48]
The Druze hold Shuaib in high regard, believing him to be the same person as the biblical Jethro.[49] They regard Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and the Isma'ili Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il as prophets.[50] Additionally, Druze tradition honors figures such as Salman the Persian,[51] al-Khidr (whom they identify with Elijah, John the Baptist and Saint George),[52] Job, Luke the Evangelist, and others as "mentors" and "prophets".[53]
The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. They are primarily located in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with smaller communities in Jordan. They make up 5.5% of Lebanon's population, 3% of Syria's and 1.6% of Israel's. 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").[54] The Druze community played a critically important role in shaping the history of the Levant, where it continues to play a significant political role.[55] As a religious minority, they have often faced persecution from various Muslim regimes, including contemporary Islamic extremism.[56][57][58]
Several theories about the origins of the Druze have been proposed, with the Arabian hypothesis being the most widely accepted among historians, intellectuals, and religious leaders within the Druze community.[59] This hypothesis significantly influences the Druze's self-perception, cultural identity, and both oral and written traditions.[31] It suggests that the Druze are descended from 12 Arab tribes that migrated to Syria before and during the early Islamic period.[60][61][62] This perspective is accepted by the entire Druze communities in Syria and Lebanon, as well as by most Druze in Israel.[note 1][67]
In the Middle East the ONLY sane country is Israel. The rest? Tribal ties based on blood ties, grievances, feuds, revenge killings, clan and mass hysteria, mob rule and death cults.
The Jews of Israel: “Leave us the f**k alone already!
The Assad’s may have protected Alawites and Druze (maybe) but the slaughtered everyone else. Now with this Jihadi with a tie nut job he is killing those that weren’t killed by the Assads!
Roving bands of militias are nothing more than terrorists with Toyota jeeps and DShK 12.7mm heavy machine guns. Now they are humiliating the Druze by cutting off their beards (shades of Nazis against religious Jews in WWII) and killing them.
Do all these tribes in the Middle East know how to create, build, improve, learn and contribute or do they really know only two things:
KILL or...
Be killed
In the Middle East the ONLY sane country is Israel. The rest? Tribal ties based on blood ties, grievances, feuds, revenge killings, clan and mass hysteria, mob rule and death cults...
And mass rapes, and murderous anti lgbtq ideology.
And liberals love them some Muslims. Weird how they condemn Christianity as being a “violent religion” and “intolerant”, but the left turn right around and embrace radical Islam, and actual violent religion.
I had some acquaintances who were druze and they told me stories about their origin which were pretty much consistent.
They were Christians.
Then Mohammed came. Soon after that , the fights began leading into the crusades. Their people sat at the crossroads. One week the Christians came through, the next week the Mohammedans would come through wanting to kill indidels, so to survive, they had to learn Islamic verse and Arabic. When the crusaders cam through, they wanted to kill Mohammedans forcing them to know what they knew as being originally Christians.
So it was the chameleon effect.
Like all politicians and a need for survival they told the visitors what they wanted to hear... We’re christians, how can we help you or alternately we’re Mohammedans, how can we help you?
While Druze revere Jesus, they do not believe he is the son of God, therefore they are not Christians. That doesn't mean we shouldn't embrace them as brothers.
Thank you for an opinion of who they are.
Their statements were based on who they were. Their belief was their roots were Christianity and with time and conditions, they changed due to Islamic influence and a desire to live, self preservation.. Funny how that is...
The Druze are OK. their religion is part Christian and part Gnostic, part Muslim and part their own whatever. They have no history of Jihad.
They have many Druze communities that straddle the Israeli-Syria border. Israel and IDF will protect them no matter if they are in Syria or Israel.
“The lack of agreement, along with rising sectarian violence, is undermining efforts to build a new, united Syria.”
The Druze and Alawites are targeted by the new Regime in Damascus. Both of them would all be murdered if they were not armed. NPR lives in a fairy-tail world. Like most Leftists.
I recall waking up one morning and the news was reporting on some Druze militia who had gone through some Arab country refugee camp murdering women and children. It was a sick scene. Payback is hell and will happen.
The islamists are opposed to everyone not them, and when all the infidels are eradicated, they’ll eat each other alive in sectarian fighting.
Any time i see an article on Druze I recall the one time leader named Walid Jumblatt, one of the great names of all time.
When there is a conflict between Muslims and Hindus, I side with the Hindus.
When there is a conflict between Muslims and Jews, I side with the Jews.
When there is a conflict between Muslims and atheists, I side with the atheists.
When there is a conflict between Muslims and Christians, I side with the Christians.
When there is a conflict between Muslims and Druze, I side with the Druze.
That’s a rational policy.
L
Jewish Druids?
This article is total CNN biased bullcrap.
I am friends with several Druze members. I discussed this with them yesterday after the story broke.
First, The Druze were originally Muslims and in the 11th century broke out with a very peaceful unity religion. There are only about 1 to 2 million members, mostly in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. They are very secretive about their beliefs which include reincarnation.
They are secretive about their religion so they are not persecuted by the Muslims.
The Sunni Muslim Bedouins attacked the Druze. The new Syrian government sent in troops pretending to bring peace, but began executing and tortured the Druze men, women and children. (It’s ethnic cleansing.) Just as Hamas did on October 7th, they filmed their atrocities. The Syrian troops even went into the hospital, executing the patients.
The Israel Druze men were knocking down the border fence to go help their families still in Syria. Israel accepts the Druze as equals, even accepting them as officers in the IDF. Realizing that Syria was moving tanks and military into their border region, Israel attacked Syria, blowing up their defense headquarters in Damascus and much of their military that was attacking the Druze.
You got that right.
islam is the only religion I know of in which murder is obligatory.
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