Shishakli launched a brutal campaign to defame the druzes for their religion and politics. What is a good book to read about druze religion and culture. Prayer points scripture prayers for the druze in united kingdom. Origins of the druze people and religion forgotten books philip k. Betts, who has spent a great deal of time with the druze, interweaves his firsthand observations with a wealth of primary and secondary sources, describing not only their thousandyear history but also their. Fast forwarding to the syrian civil war, the druze took an opposing stance to the assad regime during the initial stage of the civil war when the free syrian army fsa was still alive. They believe in supporting the nations in which they live. Druze, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its members at times politically significant that have enabled them to maintain for centuries their closeknit identity and distinctive faith.
The druze scripture is the rasail alhikmah epistles of wisdom, most of which was composed by hamzahs successor, baha aldin almuqtana. Such mystification makes any enquiry into druze doctrine or history a delicate. Druzes, bahais, and members of other unrecognized religious groups do not have their religious affiliations correctly noted on their national identity cards or family books the family book is a national registration record that is issued to the head of every family and that serves as proof of citizenship. The book also fails to dismiss various myths that surrounded the druze belief for a long time. Throughout the early 1950s, shishakli s regime carried out syrianization campaigns seeking to aggres. When the insurgency reached its peak, shishakli backed down, refusing to drag syria into civil war. Nov 10, 2014 by asya pereltsvaig the republication of this post, originally written in october 20, was prompted by the film arabani about the druze community in northern israel, which ive recently seen at the silicon valley jewish film festival. Adib bin hassan alshishakli arabic language, 1909 27 september 1964 was a syrian military leader and president of syria 195354. He fled to lebanon, but when the druze leader kamal jumblat threatened to have him killed, he fled to brazil. The shishakli assault on the syrian druze and the israeli response. Shishakli was assassinated in brazil on 27 september 1964 by a druze seeking revenge for shishaklis bombardment of the jebel aldruze.
In the uk, where there is freedom of religion, believers can distribute the gospel of john to the druze. The institute of druze studies once estimated that about 4050% of druze lived in syria, 3040% in lebanon, 67% in israel and jordan. Although the druze religious books describe addarazi as the insolent one and as the calf who is narrowminded and hasty, the. It is a collection of books, of which the first six are most commonly used. Shishakli was assassinated in brazil on september 27, 1964 by a druze in revenge for that attack. But due to the prolonged violence that has devastated syria since 2011, a significant number of druze have emigrated to north america, europe and australia. Leading the anti shishakli movement were former president atassi and the veteran druze leader sultan alatrash.
Druze, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an. They are perhaps one of the most misunderstood and understudied religious sects in the world. He clashed frequently with the independentminded druze minority on the jabal aldruze. Faraj in his own book cites various testimonies of druze villagers to prove his overall position. His family name, shishakli, is a common turkish surname derived from turkish word cicek which means flower and cicekli shishakli means someone or some place with flowers in. The druze are an arabicspeaking esoteric ethnoreligious group originating in western asia. The druzes are a middle eastern minority group with their formal origins in the 11th century. The quran is one of their holy books and they celebrate the feast of sacrifice id aladh a just like their neighbors.
Adib ashshishakli was born in hamah, syria in 1909 and was assassinated in brazil on sept. The druze, who can be traced back to eleventhcentury levant, have long intrigued scholars of the middle east. He apparently shared the view of adib shishakli, syrias president from 195354, who declared, my enemies are like a snake. The druze community in syria is not the subject of michael provences book, nor. They would probably be drawn to the philosophical tone of the gospel of john, which also strongly addresses why we need to look to jesus and no other. After the shishaklis military campaign, the druze community lost much of its political influence, but many druze military officers played important roles in the baath government currently ruling syria.
It emerged in the city of cairo, spread to what is today lebanon, syria, and israel, and subsequently became known by outsiders as druze in arabic, durooz, meaning druzes. Its head is in jabal aldruze, its belly in homs and its tail in aleppo. Us policy towards palestine refugees joshua landis. The druze follow a batini esoteric interpretation of the five pillars of islam. Shishakli was assassinated in brazil on 27 september 1964 by a druze seeking revenge for shishakli s bombardment of the jebel aldruze. The druze selfidentify as an independent faith separate from islam. The hopes of the druze were dashed, however, after military strongman adib shishakli, who styed himself an arab caesar, came to power in december 1949. According to druze accounts, shishakli encouraged neighboring bedouin tribes to plunder the defenseless population and allowed his own troops to run amok.
In recent times the term druze mountain jabal alduruz has been missing from. He served as an officer under the french mandate and fought valiently in. Druze simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The name druze probably comes from darazi, a preacher who was expelled from the druze movement, because he preached that alhakim was.
Modern scholars, with the hindsight of later studies and access to the complete religious texts of the druze, have written off these unbelievable claims as historically motivated and malicious insertions by non druze historians. Betts, who has spent a great deal of time with the druze, interweaves his firsthand observations with a wealth of primary and secondary sources, describing not only their thousandyear history but also their political significance in. The great syrian revolt and the rise of arab nationalism. One of the most intriguing minority groups in the middle east is now a thousand years old. The druze practice a religion related to islam and christianity but more based on philosophy. The druze faith is a monotheistic abrahamic religion that is a gnostic offshoot and neoplatonist sect of ismaili shia islam. Adib bin hassan alshishakli was a syrian military leader and president of syria 195354. Leading the antishishakli movement were former president atassi and the veteran druze leader sultan alatrash. His family lived in the hama province of what was then ottoman syria.
There is no mention of shishakli in school books, at any level, and he is never mentioned on syrian tv with the one exception of a television series called hammam al qishani produced during the. About 120,000 druze currently live in two regions of israel. Throughout the early 1950s, shishaklis regime carried out syrianization campaigns seeking to. In 5, after the issuing of a fatwa by the scholar ibn taymiyyah calling for jihad against all nonsunni muslims like the druze, alawites, ismaili, and twelver shiites, almalik alnasir inflicted a disastrous defeat on the druze at keserwan and forced outward compliance on their part to orthodox sunni islam. Analysis a loselose situation for syrian druze haaretz. Learn from druze experts like scribd government docs and alex klaushofer. Modern scholars, with the hindsight of later studies and access to the complete religious texts of the druze, have written off these unbelievable claims as historically motivated and malicious insertions by nondruze historians.
Lifestyle and appearance of the druze people have been a mystery to many. The druze have preferred taqiyya dissimulation when independence or freedom of belief proved unattainable, which has exacerbated ignorance of their faith. Their great similarity in language, food and outward signs of their culture to their arabmuslim surrounding is obvious. Alhakim, a ruler of egypt during the 11th century sponsored the religion which was created by hamza bin ali. Shishakli had responded by arresting atassi and atrashs sons, adnan and mansur both of whom were ranking politicians in syria. Another druze revolt led to a national uprising and the overthrow of pres. Dec, 2016 the institute of druze studies once estimated that about 4050% of druze lived in syria, 3040% in lebanon, 67% in israel and jordan. Modern scholars and the amman message identify them as muslims. Druze community of syria is believed to constitute an estimated 3.
Druze fur by druze et al and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The origins of the druze people and religion by philip khuri. Adib ash shishakli was born in hamah, syria in 1909 and was assassinated in brazil on sept. Their religious texts are known collectively as kitab al hikma the book of wisdom. He served as an officer under the french mandate and fought valiently in palestine during the 1948 war. Although shishakli was later assassinated by a druze gunman in 1964, the druze community suffered substantial damage. Druzes article about druzes by the free dictionary. The largest anti shishakli conference had been held in atassis home in homs. History druze religion has its origins in the second decade of the 11th century, when aldarazi and hamzah ibn ali declared the sixth fatimid caliph to be the incarnation of the godhead. Revisiting the druze politics in palestine under british. Several towns were bombarded with heavy weapons, killing scores of civilians and destroying many houses. A history of the druzes begins with an introduction to the early history of the druzes, focusing on the religious, political, and social features that fostered the druze community as a religious minority with its own particular characteristics, facilitating an understanding of the druzes today.
Druze teachings are kept secret, so libel and slander by their opponents have been generally left uncorrected. Their obscure origins and blending of beliefs from ismaili shiism, animism, greek philosophy, jewish and christian mysticism, iranian gnosticism and even buddhism, have set them apart from their neighbours. Shishakli believed that among his many opponents in syria, the druzes were the most potentially dangerous, and he was. The foundation is an independent, apolitical institution whose aims are the study and preservation of druze culture, history and lore and the dissemination of information on all matters relating to the druze in their arab homelands and abroad. Their obscure origins and blending of beliefs from ismaili shiism, animism, greek philosophy, jewish and christian mysticism, iranian gnosticism and. He later served briefly as a parliamentary speaker in 1965 until his arrest in 1966. On 27 september 1964, shishakli was assassinated in ceres, brazil by nawaf ghazaleh, a syrian druze who sought revenge for his parents who had died leaving him an orphan during the bombardment of jabal druze.
Adib shishakli was a syrian kurd and also of turkish origin, born in the hama region in 1909. Shishakli dispatched 10,000 regular troops to occupy the jebel al druze. In the first complete account of the druze, robert brenton betts provides a general survey of the history, traditions, and society of this secretive arab sect. Most druzes live today in mountainous regions in lebanon, syria, israel, and jordan. For all enquiries, please contact herb tandree philosophy books directly customer service is our primary goal. Druze families typically have about five children, which counteracts attrition and keeps them slowly increasing. The druze heritage foundation dhf was established in 1999 in london, uk, on the initiative of mr. One of his grandsons, adib ihsan shishakly, is a member of the syrian opposition. Shishakli dispatched 10,000 regular troops to occupy the jebel aldruze. Nov 07, 2007 the book also fails to dismiss various myths that surrounded the druze belief for a long time. Origins of the druze people and religion forgotten books. Historical dictionary of the druzes by samy swayd nook book.
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