The article focuses on the history and features of the Druze
communities in the Middle East. The religious movement’s representatives
reside in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. Despite the status of a religious
minority, the Druze people have played key roles in the modern history and
politics of their countries. For example, in 1925, the Syrian Druze revolted
against the French presence in the region.
Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, a Druze, was the leader of the anti-colonial
uprising of 1925–1927. Among the Lebanese Druze, Kamal and Walid Jumblatt
played a significant role in the country’s political life in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jordan’s Druze are generally all loyal to the authorities and do not engage in
conflicts with nieghbouring communities. Israeli Druze are also loyal to the state
where they live. Druze soldiers serve in the Israeli army, being the only Arabs to
be conscripted; they have fought in all Arab-Israeli wars.
Druze; Jordan; Syria; Lebanon; Israel.