Druze Faith

Overview

The Druze, who call themselves "Muwahhidun" ("believers in God's oneness"), believe in one God and in reincarnation. They regard prophets and sages of various religions, for example Jethro (Shu'ayb), as messengers of one truth. The religion's secrets are kept by the 'uqqal, the initiated, who take on a strict way of life. The community keeps seven moral principles, including truthfulness, mutual responsibility and loyalty to one's brethren.

Origins and History

The faith was born in Cairo under the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim. Believers saw him as an embodiment of divine oneness. After his disappearance in 1021 the believers in Egypt were persecuted, and the movement found refuge in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria. In 1043 the da'wa was closed, and since then the religion has not accepted new members.

Development and Branches

• Lebanon: for centuries the Druze were a central political force in Mount Lebanon, under emirs such as Fakhr al-Din II.
• Jabal al-Druze: from the late 17th to the 19th century many moved, in several waves of migration, to Jabal al-Druze (Jabal al-Arab) in Syria.
• Israel: they have been recognised as a separate religious community since 1957, and since 1956 they have served in the IDF under compulsory conscription.

How It Spread and Grew

🗺️ Maps of how the five largest religions spread →

The period of the call: the religion spread only between 1017 and 1043, through missionaries. Since then growth has come from natural increase alone, and marriage outside the community is not accepted. So the community has remained small, close-knit and geographically concentrated.

Influence on the World

In Lebanon and Syria: the Druze are a prominent political player in Lebanon, for example the Jumblatt family. In Syria they led the Great Revolt against the French (1925), under Sultan al-Atrash.

In Israel: they are prominent in the army, politics and culture, and keep a tradition of generous hospitality.

What Draws Believers (Strengths)

• Strong community solidarity and mutual responsibility.
• A moral emphasis on truth, honour and loyalty.
• A distinctive identity preserved for about a thousand years.
• Reincarnation gives a sense of continuity and comfort.

Criticism and Challenges

• Secrecy: there is criticism, mostly from within, of the secrecy that denies most believers access to the scriptures.
• Mixed marriages: the ban on them leads to ostracism and personal tragedies.
• Women's status: it is changing, but is still largely conservative.
• Israel: the Nation-State Law (2018) provoked widespread protest in the community over the question of equality.

Human Life, War and Peace – What It Teaches

• The moral principles include protecting one's brethren and the community, and loyalty to the state.
• Fighting is justified when it is defensive. Honour, courage and hospitality are central values.
• Belief in immediate reincarnation is seen as a source of courage in the face of death.
• Compared with other religions: Sanctity of Life Across Religions

Religion, Power and Violence

Military history: the Druze have a prominent military tradition, which arose mainly from the need to defend a persecuted minority community. They were involved in violent conflicts:

• The Mount Lebanon civil war (1860): in the war between Druze and Maronites, thousands of Christians were massacred.
• The Lebanese civil war (1975–1990): the Druze took part in it too.

When believers were victims:

• Persecution: in history and in recent years the Druze have also been victims of massacres and persecution, for example by jihadist groups in Syria.
• Majdal Shams (2024): in July 2024, 12 children and teenagers were killed when a rocket hit a football pitch in the Druze village in the Golan Heights. Israel and the United States attributed the fire to Hezbollah, which denied it.
• Suwayda (2025): in July 2025 fighting broke out in Suwayda province in southern Syria between Druze militias, Bedouin tribes and the forces of the new government. According to human rights groups more than a thousand people were killed, among them hundreds of Druze civilians, some of them executed. The reports attribute some of the executions to members of the Syrian security forces.

The other side: the religion itself is closed, so it does not spread by force and has no history of forcing belief on others.