Religion and all its embodiments is one of the most widespread movements in the world since time immemorial. At times, it unites people as nothing else and gives us will and power to be merciful, kind and spiritually oriented. Among all the innumerable religious groups, I choose to stick to Druze, as it merges together the features of different traditions and opens a road to being a comprehensive human being.
Apart from being a name for the religion, Druze is also a name of people in the Middle East, which has “has a unique historical, social and demographic structure” (Shlush et al. 1). Being surrounded by Jews, Muslims and Christians, Druze absorbed their teachings, and with additional historical shaping, which was even atrocious, developed a religious path that I now follow. Our religion is monotheistic and was greatly influenced by humanistic philosophy. Nonetheless, “the Druze tenets strictly close their religion to new adherents, thus forbidding admixture with other populations,” (Shlush et al. 2) so not everyone is free to experience its advantages and disadvantages.
Some researches state that Druze emerges as a “heretical offshoot of Shiite Islam, [which was] founded in the 11th century” (Greif 2). And thus, due to our “Arab-Muslim surrounding,” (Dana E6) we are often considered to be a branch of Judaism or Islam. Nonetheless, Druze was a full-pledged religion ever since it “was established in Cairo under the Fatimid caliph [al-Hakim] (A .B. 400/ A.D. 1009-10),” who was one of the most prominent leaders in Druze history. (Brown 378). People believed him to be “an actual incarnation of God” (New World Encyclopedia) and his name translated as “Ruler by the Command of Allah”. The man who started this movement was named Hasan ibn Haidara al-Ahram, and he is believed to be the actual founder of the religion, with caliph being a supporter and sponsor. We have no evidence whether the caliph himself believed to be a God, however as the religion sprung from those times, we may assume that he did not mind. Nonetheless, he was later mysteriously killed (which is the most plausible option), but some of our believers of that era would say that he “went into occultation” (New World Encyclopedia) and will resurrect when the time comes, with first association that springs to mind being the predicted resurrection of Jesus Christ.
After the assassination of the caliph, another powerful figure had came into the movement, and he was named Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad. His contribution to the development of Druze cannot be overestimated. Actually, one of the theories of the name’s origin presupposes that Druze “derives its name from Hamzah's subordinate, Muhammad ad-Darazi” (New World Encyclopedia).
Druze’s postulates are laid out in the foundational text, which is Epistles of Wisdom, and also some supplemental texts. Generally, our theology is based on “the doctrine of a divinely guided and appointed Imam”, which is the “[b]earer of the divine light [] attached to the messianic idea of return”. (Abu Izzeddin 101) Thus, similarly to other religions, we believe in a single God, who will provide us with a reward if we obey his orders and stick to his principles.
On the topic of main Druze commandments, they are as follows: restraint of speech; guardianship of brothers; ban on idol worship; disassociation from the demon and evil; the belief in the uniqueness of God; the willing acceptance of the acts of God; total submission to God's decrees (Dana E7-8). Thus, there are seven of them and we stick to them strictly and diligently. An interesting one is the first mentioned, the restraint of speech, which does not mean that we are not allowed to speak our mind. It means that we should only speak what we believe is true; we should not give promises we cannot keep or predictions we are not sure of; we should not slander or misguide someone with our utterance. Also, I find the last one very peculiar, as it defines the core fatalistic feature of our religion: everything is already designed by God, including our destinies. By that commandment, such occasions as an illness or death do not appear as a grief for us. We do not mourn the late, but accept what has happened as a part of a bigger plan, that we are not able to control.
The third commandment bans idol worship, which is the reason why Druze symbolism is limited. However, there is a well-known symbol in the shape of a five-colored star or a flag. What do these five colors represent? According to Gale Encyclopedia, they represent five prophets, and red color stands for love, green is for farming, life and harvest, white signifies purity, yellow the sun, and blue color is associated with faith and sky (Rohland).
Another binding feature is wearing traditional costumes, though it is mainly done by adherents, living in the Middle East. Women wear “the traditional long black or blue dress with a white head covering” (Rohland) and men wear baggy pants, tightened in the bottom, which are called shirwal. However, these costumes are not only worn for religious reasons, but also because of the Middle East climate and way of life.
Another way of expressing the Druze identity is our traditional cuisine, which I enjoy very much. In the Middle East, olives and fruits are generally incorporated when preparing a meal, however for most Druze families they are home-grown. We “live, for the most part, on a vegetarian diet” (Rohland), and meat is served very rarely. Such things as pita, cheese, cucumber salad, chickpeas are seen on our tables more often. For dressing we choose onions, sesame oil and, of course, garlic.
Having these generally recognized signs, the Druze feel also formally united and represented. It is important for any religious unity to have such symbolic boundaries, which make it different from anything else. When going to another country, having our five-color flag or even a traditional star in a shape of, let us say, a keychain, is very comforting and gives us a sense of belonging.
Concerning the actual number of adherents, bound by the abovementioned believes or traditions, numbers may vary from 300 thousand up to 2 millions of people. LookLex encyclopedia “estimates that around 600,000 live in the Middle East and nearly 700,000 all over the world”. Starting with its homeland core of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, Druze can also be found in Europe, America and even Australia.
All in all, Druze is a distinct religion with its unique historical grounds and philosophical influences. It is approximately 1 thousand years old, and through its lifetime it has developed, changed and evolved. We have a solid theological ground with 7 main commandments and a distinct philosophical stance towards life, which is God driven fatalism. I am glad that I belong to this religion, as it gives opportunity to live a life, filled with tradition and guided with wisdom and acceptance.
Works cited
Shlush, Liran et al. (2008) “The Druze: A Population Genetic Refugium of the Near East.” PLoS ONE, 3(5): 1-9. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Greif, Adi. “Druze and Jews.” Political and Cultural History, Spring 2005: 1-6. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Dana, Nissim. “Druze Identity, Religion – Tradition and Apostasy.” Shaanan Periodical, 15 (2010): E5-E20. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Brown, Robin. “The Druze Experience at Umm al-Jimal: Remarks on the History and Archaeology of the Early 20th Century Settlement”. Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan X (2009): 377-389.
“Druze.” New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, n. p., 25 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Abu Izzeddin, Nejla. The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society. Leiden: Brill, 1993. Print.
Rohland, Pam. “Druze.” Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. The Gale Group Inc., 2000, Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
Kjeile, Tore. “Druze.” LookLex Encyclopaedia. LookLex Encyclopaedia, n. d. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
