Chosen by Chaden Hani, Lebanese Druze researcher and doctoral student in peace studies at the International Center for Baptist Theological Studies (IBTS) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. A believer in Jesus, she wrote her master’s thesis on the best practices of Arab evangelical churches in their missiological action among followers of this heterodox branch of Shiite Islam, and continues to live within her community in the mountains of Lebanon. .
The Druze: a new study of their history, their faith and their societyby Nejla M. Abu-Izzeddin
Published in 1984, this seminal work – written by a Druze herself – traces the early pre-Islamic tribal movements of the Middle Eastern community through their establishment as a distinct religion primarily located in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Outlining the main tenets of their faith, it describes in detail how the sect emerged from mainstream Islam, from the derogatory name of an early preacher considered a heretic by Muslims and Druze.
Although the name has remained, the Druze prefer to call themselves “Unitarians”.
A secretive sect that does not accept conversions, although they number less than a million people in the Levant, the Druze have played an outsized role in the region’s politics and economy. Abu-Izzeddin consulted several less accessible internal manuscripts in preparing his study, describing how their close solidarity allowed the Druze to maintain an independent existence for over a thousand years.
Being DruzeFouad I. Khuri
Khuri describes the strong group feeling among the Druze. Their deep attachment to ethnicity and unwavering solidarity, visible even among immigrant populations, ensures that as a minority community, they strongly support their leaders in times of crisis. The text also addresses the concept of taqiyawhich allows the adoption of outward forms of Islamic rituals to protect the inner faith in times of persecution by major Muslim sects.
But within the community, the five pillars of Islam are spiritualized and the Druze do not pray or fast regularly, but rather commit to a moral code emphasizing loyalty, honesty and courage . Spiritual practice is largely confined to a religious class called Sheikhs, whose members wear black robes with white caps and strive to establish a connection with the divine, meeting once a week to read their holy books. In the absence of formal higher education seminars, religious knowledge is transmitted internally and lived out in self-discipline and austerity.
The Druze: realities and perceptionsKamal Salibi
An international team of researchers shares their insights in this profound contribution to the understanding of the Druze community. Covering their faith, identity, society and historical significance in the Middle East, the 15 published articles include three that focus on religious issues.
The first presents the broad outlines of Druze doctrines and their philosophical foundations. Another important entry describes the canon of Druze scriptures – the “six books of wisdom” – as well as their context of Cairene authorship four centuries after the advent of Islam.
The third chapter studies the life and writings of the most revered Druze saint, Jamal al-Din Abdullah al-Tanukhi (1417-1479 AD), theologian, reformer, and ethical philosopher whose ascetic adherence to monotheism made him a preeminent religious figure. Additionally, Tanukhi’s comments on marriage, divorce, and the six original texts have led many to view him as the founder of the normative Druze faith.
A history of the DruzeKais M. Firro
This book explores how the Druze emerged as an offshoot of Shia Ismaili doctrine and how dedicated missionaries spread their combination of messianic ideas, Neoplatonic philosophy, and esoteric mysticism to the Levant. Content includes information on the fundamentals of the Druze faith, the impact of persecution on the community, and the role of its central historical figures.
It also discusses the five cosmic principles of the Druze, each represented by a color and arranged in a five-pointed star, a symbol of temperance and moderation. Green represents “wisdom”, red “soul”, yellow “word”, blue “past” and white “future”. Each has been incarnated into “spiritual dignitaries” throughout history, whom the Druze view as prophets – which is consistent with but different from traditional figures in Christianity and Islam.
“Druze Conversion: American Missionaries’ Roadmap to Nowhere,” by Samer Traboulsi, in One hundred and fiftyedited by Nadia Maria El-Cheikh, Lina Choueiri and Bilal Orfali
In this anthology about the first 150 years of Protestant missions in the Middle East, Traboulsi describes the challenges encountered in evangelizing the Druze people. Convinced that the seeds planted would eventually bear abundant fruit, missionaries fought to bring a new faith to a land with ancient religions, which formed an essential part of community identity.
The chapter includes a copy of the report written by William M. Thomson, sent to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1870. He proposed diverting attention from the missionary activity of native Christians – where the Protestant faith was failing. to establish itself – towards the Druze community, in the hope that these converts would then be the spearhead of the evangelizing mission to the Bedouin Arabs of Transjordan.
Adopted by the mission, it led to the appointment of Cornelius Van Dyck, translator of the modern Arabic Bible, to prepare literature dealing with the Druze people and their religion, the basis of which is still used in outreach activities today .
