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Syria Druzes
In 1987 the Druze community, at 3 percent of the population
the country's third largest religious minority, continued to be
the overwhelming majority in the Jabal al Arab, a rugged and
mountainous region in southwestern Syria.
The Druze religion is a tenth-century offshoot of Islam, but
Muslims view Druzes as heretical for accepting the divinity of
Hakim, the third Fatimid caliph of Egypt. The group takes its
names from Muhammad Bin Ismail ad Darazi, an Iranian mystic.
Druzes regard Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, as their chief
prophet and make annual pilgrimages to his tomb in lower Galilee.
They also revere Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, the three most
important prophets of Islam.
The Druze have always kept their doctrine and ritual of
secret to avoid persecution. Only those who demonstrate extreme
piety and devotion and the correct demeanor are initiated into
the mysteries. The initiated (uqqal; sing., aqil)
are a very small minority and may include women. Most Druzes are
juhhal, ignorant ones. Apparently the religion is complex,
involving neo-Platonic thought, Sufi mysticism, and Iranian
religious traditions.
Endogamy and monogamy are the rule among the Druzes. Until
recently, most girls were married between the ages of 12 and 15,
and most men at the age of 16 or 17. Women are veiled in public,
but, in contrast to Muslim Arab custom, they can and do
participate in the councils of elders.
Data as of April 1987
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