Druze in Israel

Not to be confused with Israeli Jews.

Israeli Druze
الدروز الإسرائيليون‎
דְּרוּזִים יִשְׂרְאֵלִים‎
Scouts near Tiberias marching to the tomb of Jethro (2006)
Total population
c. 143,000 (2019)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Israel119,400
Golan Heights23,602
Languages
Religion
Druzism
Related ethnic groups
Other Israeli and Palestinian Arabs, other Druze, other Syrians
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Israeli Druze or Druze Israelis (Arabic: الدروز الإسرائيليون; Hebrew: דְּרוּזִים יִשְׂרְאֵלִים) are an ethnoreligious minority among the Arab citizens of Israel.[2] They maintain Arabic language and culture as integral parts of their identity, and Arabic is their primary language.[3][4] In 2019, there were 143,000 Druze people living within Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, comprising 1.6% of the total population of Israel.[1] the majority of Israeli Druze are concentrated in northern Israel,[5] especially in Galilee, Carmel and the Golan areas.[6]

Before the Israeli Declaration of Independence, Druze people were not recognized as a religious community, and were discriminated against by the local judicial system.[7] In 1957, the Israeli government designated Druze Israelis as a distinct religious community at the request of Druze communal leaders.[8][9] Alongside the Jewish majority and the Circassian minority, the Druze minority is required by law to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, and members of the community have also attained top positions in Israeli politics and public service. As is the case for the Circassian community, only men from the community are drafted, while women are exempted; in contrast with Jews, for whom military service is also mandatory for women.[10]

Druzism, the Druze ethnic religion, developed out of Isma'ilism, a branch of Shia Islam, but the Druze do not consider themselves Muslims.[11][12][13][14] Druze Israelis are native Arabic-speakers; a 2017 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center reported that the majority of Israel's Druze also ethnically self-identify as Arabs.[15] Israel has the world's third-largest Druze population, after Syria and Lebanon;[16][17] Survey data suggests that Israeli Druze prioritize their identity first as Druze (religiously), second as Arabs (culturally and ethnically), and third as Israelis (citizenship-wise).[4] A small minority of them identify as Palestinians, distinguishing them from the majority of other Arab citizens of Israel, who predominantly identify as Palestinians.[4]

  1. ^ a b "The Druze population in Israel – a collection of data on the occasion of the Prophet Shuaib holiday" (PDF). CBS – Israel. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. ^ "5 facts about Israeli Druze, a unique religious and ethnic group". 21 March 2016.
  3. ^ Brockman, Norbert (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-59884-654-6.
  4. ^ a b c Nili, Shmuel (2019). The People's Duty: Collective Agency and the Morality of Public Policy. Cambridge University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9781108480925. Druze are Arab by language, culture, and custom... Survey data has long suggested that Israeli Druze identify themselves first and foremost identity as Druze (in terms of their religion), secondarily as Arabs (in terms of their of their culture), and thirdly as Israeli (in terms of citizenship).
  5. ^ Dr. Naim Aridi. "The Druze in Israel: History & Overview". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  6. ^ Kaplan Sommer, Allison (11 June 2023). "The Druze Community in Israel, Explained". Haaretz.
  7. ^ Aharon Layish (1982). Marriage, Divorce, and Succession in the Druze Family: A Study Based on Decisions of Druze Arbitrators and Religious Courts in Israel and the Golan Heights. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill. p. 12. ISBN 90-04-06412-5. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  8. ^ Khair Abbas, Randa (2011). The Israeli Druze Community in Transition. ABC-CLIO. p. 11. ISBN 9781527567399. In 1957, the Druze were declared a religious community in Israel.
  9. ^ Cohen, Hillel (2015). Good Arabs: The Israeli Security Agencies and the Israeli Arabs, 1948–1967. University of California Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780520944886. In 1957, the Druze were recognized as a distinct religious confession.
  10. ^ Religious Freedoms: Druze. Theisraelproject.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-23. Archived 14 September 2012 at archive.today
  11. ^ "Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are". Arab America. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ^ Léo-Paul Dana (1 January 2010). Entrepreneurship and Religion. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 314. ISBN 978-1-84980-632-9.
  13. ^ James Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  14. ^ De McLaurin, Ronald (1979). The Political Role of Minority Groups in the Middle East. Michigan University Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780030525964. Theologically, one would have to conclude that the Druze are not Muslims. They do not accept the five pillars of Islam. In place of these principles the Druze have instituted the seven precepts noted above..
  15. ^ "Israel's Religiously Divided Society". Pew Research Center. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  16. ^ Druzes, Institute of Druze Studies, archived from the original on 17 June 2006
  17. ^ Dana 2003, p. 99.