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Traditional Druz Hats
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In Nebi Shuwaib
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Druz Greeting
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An Armenian priest

janosz 25-Jul-2006 14:05

Hi there,

With all this trouble in Lebanon right now, this arwfull invasion, i wondered about a sollution.. Somehow i figuered that the Druze could be so helpfull in this*.. a: the religional bounderies, cosnsisting elements of multiple religions. The pragmatic nature, seeking truth. b: for being geograficly situated in both israel and leboanon (inc. parlimental history in both!!). c for having such an adaptive (non-violent) history. I don't know about the druze's capability of negotion between party's, since they have this secretive way of expressing their religion, but to me it just looks to good to be true. A embodiment of a peaceful mix of both worlds, this must work.. Maybe some of you could comment on this toppic.. I would be delighted to here about it from any druze's perspective.

Gr. Roland

*Source wikipedia & personal friendship with druze in kibbutz.

rani saad 13-Jun-2006 14:57

0 i know some of the ppl in pics..
some r from bait jann

soltan basha 06-Jun-2006 20:19

what an An Armenian priest have to to with this ?

rany saad 04-Jun-2006 16:21

o and this is bait jann in year 1976
http://www6.snunit.k12.il/druz/16a.html

rany saad 04-Jun-2006 16:18

hi every body i am rani
i just wanna say ..may god bless you aiman and i agree with every thing u said..
by the way "i am druze(mouahed)"..and i am proud bieng druze..
i live in israel in a place called bait jann its on a head of a mountin a really beautiful place to live in sarounded by nature..i would love to talk to druze ppl all over the world...
if any one wanna ask any thing a bout my religion can email me :
rany11s@hotmail.com

Guest 31-May-2006 12:35

Hi...Well it was interesting reading all of these comments. I agree that we dont live in the perfect world, however why cant we fight for what we want abd believe in.

I guess my story is quite similar to so many of you. I'm a muslim who's inlove with a durzi guy, for so long now. Neither can I take the deceision of walking away nor does he. Still he wont give up his religion nor his family for me, at least I do believe so.
I dont want ppl telling me do it now and it's going to hurt now rather than waiting longer. I need a solution, not a remedy, I want to be with that person. I just dont know what to do....

Guest 28-May-2006 12:12

To ALL,

WE are Druze, We are proud of being so,
It is enough for us to know who we are, and since we are not hurting any other religion,
We dont care what others think about us.

By the way we are muslims, like it or not.

ali 23-May-2006 19:09

hi
the druze ,this name for famile fram islam that belive oure god
and the true name of the druze was al-mouahdon

Ari Kakayi 07-May-2006 05:35

I am Kakayi from Kurdistan of Iraq and im half american half kurdish but i am kakayi and kakayi which is also called ahl-i-haqq, yarsan, and of course Kakayi. We are very very similar to Druze, we dont shave our moustache. We share the same beliefs as well. We do fast 3 days, but we have been victims of islam for thousands of years, we have similar beliefs also with Zorastrians but we have a very open religion and id like to talk with somebody Druze sometime email me....ari_weled@yahoo.com

Lizard Queen 25-Apr-2006 17:47

To Nathan - Please e-mail me would like to meet you someday! :) hehehe...I have recently ended a relationship which lasted 2 years.WHy? Of course religion.. i can't think of a way to start this..Where to start..Which aspect of life do i comment on first..Do i go back 2000 years or start from today?...either way it all comes back to fear..Why did we invent God..For me it is from fear of Being meaningless..Fear from the unknown..Well it is very convenient to invent a religion (theory)from which we can implement laws ,obtain power(that is money) as well as become "spiritual"...It is also good to take good leaders, thinkers as our prophets of the "higher truth" sent from some supreme being called god which we are supposed to love,adore ,pray to,kill for, sacrifice to etc..( if IT does exist it must be some egoistic maniac)..But here my opinions about religion, god, or anything spiritual, or life itself is irrelevant..As i don't consider my ideas to be the TRUTH, i accept the fact that i, (or anyone for that matter) , don't know..I have been raised with the freedom of choice..I chose to think , to ask , to explore, to read, to feel, to CHOOSE....I chose to lead and not to follow...I've built and am still building my character, i'm growing as an individual, always learn , never stop..I draw my "theories" and conclusions from experiences not from something someone once said or wrote..I do listen and respect but for me to know something and to be able to explain it is through living it....So my life is based on living in the moment, experiencing life in its full..Have my morals..KNow right from wrong..I respect and ask to be respected back..BLADIADADADA..My sentences are not formulated properly..I cannot catch my thoughts and put them in order because i am writing this under influences (no not LSD!) of pain..Pure heartache..My world and everything i believed in were knocked down...My illusions are gone and i ,like each of you out here, don't like the face of reality..All i'm looking for are some answers...Or maybe different questions....I thought a bit of background before asking them would be helpful but i couldn't manage to do that either..Well I hope someone out there finds some sense in my mess...
What makes one truth more truthful than the other ( "religious truth")?
Religious people, you all have nice explanations about everything and anything,i will accept that, but you should also accept the fact that most of you are hypocrits, WHY DON'T YOU PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH...For eg...Equality , love for all human beings bladiladida..How come then when it comes to LOVE the essence of existence, it is you, the religious ones that try to make it impossible.You demolish and reject ,spit and step on everything that is and should be made in the name of love.Tell me how can your TRUTH be so great when nothing you do ever comes from your heart , instincts ,and in the name of love..All you do is supress your emotions, stop yourself from living because of the ideals , and "morals" of other people who lived 1000 years ago!..And DRUZE..the only reason why you can't marry and why your parents parents parents were told to disown their children in the case they do follow their heart is because it's the only way to enlarge your group therefore become powerful, and when you do nothing will be "so secretive and special " anymore..You will become same as all mainstream religions....But You still haven't figured out the beliefs yet so you can't afford to become as big..And when people do ask the only answer is "we know the truth the ultimate truth but the world is not ready to receive it yet"..YOU KNOW SHIT.....Peace to all the people who are doing good to themselves and society by following their heart and doing things in the name of love..Not fear , pressure and guilt...

DRUZ OF GOLAN HIGHTS 23-Apr-2006 11:14

druze of Golan Hights in Isreal
read about them and you will know meaningful information.

aiman 16-Apr-2006 21:57

dear queen solitair.....
we born druze as everybody in this world born in one religion.if u want to go out,you can but i will try ta say to you why you can`t go out.
1-our religion is very fair with woman.may be is the best.man can`t marry second woman and she has the right of divorce and has material & sociable rights she can ask for.
2-in our religion u can adore our god whenever & wherever u want.
3-right i do agree with you that we have so many traditional & ignorant customs but we gain these from thousands of years in the middle east.
4-life always should have some restricts to domain society if not we will act like animals of course because our instinct is so strong.
5-finally , so many young druze around the world are like you but beleive me you are in the right in the tawhid of allah the most beautiful and powerfull.just i want to ask you to study about us with somebody who understand druze because it seems that your family may not have enough information about this great & beutiful society and religion.u may write for me.u r welcome because i like druze who are mouwahidin.may god bless you.

someone 21-Mar-2006 17:51

Its very simple, u do have the freedom of choice u can marry a person who is not a Druze. We believe that all people reincarnate, and when the Druze religion opened its doors and welcomed people to join it in 1017 AD, those who believed are Druze and those who didn�t are simple not. So don�t ask us why u can�t join the religion, because if your soul (which in the Druze religion is much more important than the body, because our religion is spiritual, just like heaven) really believed in it than it should have joined it at that time. U should have known that from the beginning, u could have ended the relationship at that point but u choose to ignore reality. there is nothing called love from the first sight there is attraction only , u could have put a barrier from the beginning .at the end when u marry that person u are still a Druze but your children are not whether your a man or a woman , don�t be forced to follow what your parents want. If u truly believe in the religion than marry a Druze who u love, and if u don�t than you�re going to choose your own faith. As for the other lady, u cant judge religions by the few people u meet, I agree with u that there are some Druze men who r retarded, but look around u and you�ll see that it�s in every single religion. Our religion gave us the freedom of choice in Islam a woman is forced to wear a scarf around her head when she reaches puberty, while our u can choose whether to wear the traditional dress our not. u can choose to be religious or not and it will not be considered as a sin like in other religions .at the end we all believe in god a bad Druze is going to burn In hell like any other bad person from a different religion, and a good Druze will hopefully end up in heaven just like any other person. The only difference is that we have different beliefs just like the Christians differ for the Jewish or Muslims.

Queen Solitair 16-Mar-2006 03:36

Hi, I am not much for talking about my religion because, frankly, I don't know much about the history or how we have come to be. And to tell you the truth I am not at all that interested. All I know is that I was born into this religion with out any choice. I do not agree with many, many things we are "so called" supposed to believe in and I really don't understand why there is no freedom of choice in this case. Mainly because I have lived most of my life in Canada and have grown up along side many other cultures and have seen many different kinds of beliefs. One major thing I do not believe in or agree with is how we are not able to choose our own faith and choose what works best for ourselves as individuals. I "have" to do what others want me to do and try to obey the rules that have been forced on me. I have had such a hard time growing up and trying to live a life that I do not want for myself. I am an independent, strong willed, and smart woman. I am a social worker, and the main reason I wanted to become a social worker is to help woman and children that have been oppressed by their religion and families deal with this major problem. I have suffered a great deal of depression due to this lack of freedom of choice and I am only one person trying to change this rule of being "born" into a religion because I think it is unfair and unasked for to begin with. I wish that we had a choice and an ability to practice what ever we want and that will bring us individual satisfaction. I to am oppressed and at times I feel that there is nothing I can do without being disowned by my family. I love my family dearly and would never want to disappoint them, and in this way I feel trapped and controlled by this ordeal. My question is; how do I live happily as I want to without disappointing or shaming my family? I do not like druze guys, I have never met a druze person I have actually enjoyed or wanted to be around. I am not attracted or proud of the kind of druze guys I have met over the years. I would rather stay single forever than to marry a druze person. I know that is being very stereotypical and maybe even putting down my own culture, but that is how I feel based on my past experiences with druze men. Is there a compromise? Can there be something done to be free of this situation? I think not.... if anyone has any kind of answer I would surly appreciate to know about it. I want a future based on MY decisions and my own beliefs. This is the hardest thing I have to live with, maybe I will wait for the day this world truly has Freedom, truly believes in Equality and Freedom of Choice for all people.

Guest 04-Mar-2006 21:55

Love between a person who's Druze and someone from another religion can't be accepted because of their beliefs. I, myself, am in love with a guy who's Druze and we can't be together. We love eachother very much. But there just can't be something between us.

GUEST 03-Feb-2006 15:16

Greeting to all Druz, i am not a Druz but my girlfreind family members are, father side, the religion (Druz)to me is a scapegoat. How are people saying this religion is nice and honest. It won't even consist love between 2 people. I am a Black man who is deeply in love with a libanese woman who's father is a Druz. But now after a 4 year relationship, we must part ways and not be together anymore. Not because we dont love each other or we can't stand each other anymore. Its because of how her family will react to us being in love. Love isn't something that's planned it jus happens. We've known each other for over 15 years there's never been anything so right. But as hard as it is for me, its even harder for her. Because our love is so strong we can never be apart. Certain circumstances apply in life that man has no control over. I wish it were siple just to walk up to her parents and tell them how we feel but they would never accept it. My question to all Druz all over the world is why can't love be accepted in your religion, why can't a black man be with a libanese woman who's family members happen to be Druz???

Don 29-Nov-2005 04:29

The Druze people spread all over the world we are no long just Arabs, or Isrealis, or syrian etc. The Druze are Canadians, Americans, Australians and have spread to many part of the western nations. If you attend a Druze Convention in the U.S, you will be amazing by the many languages spoken , hebrew, spanish, english, french, Italian, russian, arabic etc. But in the end we are all one big happy family, and though we grow up in many lands and cultures, we still have our common values and beliefs. What is funny is that there are so many negative opinions about us, even though we dont preach, we mind our own business religiously, yet you will still see a consistent level of negatively at the Druze by the main-stream Muslim community due to a lack of education and arrogance, though the Druze are an Arab people of origin, you cant blame them for sideing with the Israelis over all, though the Jews have their differences with the druze, they still manage to show a greater level of respect than there arab counter-parts as you can see from the posts.

Eyal Dor-Ofer 22-Nov-2005 09:01

Natan,

Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze

Best,
Eyal

Nathan 22-Nov-2005 02:33

I just read through all of the comments posted and I have learned next to nothing about the Druze religion. All of you do not know what you are talking about, I'm sorry but it's true.
You need to take a close look at what you believe and ask yourselves why you believe? Speaking of believe, you don't know what you believe, for crying out loud you could be any religion. In Druze you are supposed to be good, honest, pure, not drink, smoke, or sleep around... okay, but name one of the better known religions that are any different.

What one must look at is;
1. Do I believe this because I am told to or because I honestly think it's the truth and the way to heaven and a better way of living.
2. Do I really know what I believe and is there any way for me to confirm my beliefs.
3. Saying that Druze is the truth and the way to heaven, what about the rest of the world. Are we all damned to hell? Or do we have to wait a million years until we are reincarnated into a Druze person so we stand a chance to see God.
What happens to "non-believers"?
4. If reincarnation is true and it is meant so each time you live your life you are to live it as a better person, why can't one remember anything about their previous life and exactly what they did. Sure, I have heard stories about people who claimed to be reincarnated and even knew their previous family members by name... but has there ever been any proof of this whatsoever?
What is the point of reincarnation if there is not a complete memory of the previous life?

My parents taught me ever since I was little to question everything, to know what I believe and why I believe it. They never wanted me fallowing them blindly. They left the choice of my religious beliefs completely up to me.
If what you believe is forced or free I would say, "question it". Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Don't start talking about what your dad or mom believes in, what do YOU believe. Now question it and see if it is true. If it's not the truth than go somewhere else for truth because you are not getting it where you are at.

ismael charrouf 30-Oct-2005 02:37

hi, im a ddruze from lebann currently living in the u.s.a. and all i can say to all yall critisizing my religion is... i love my religion and to me it makes sence and unlike some people i choose to follow this religion not just becouse i was raised with it.
I can tell yall that muh of the stuff they wright about the fruze are not true. mostly becouse of ignorance racism and becouse the people who right this stuff are not druze thmeselves. but let me clear some of those things out. first we are not banned from pork i myself love pork and my dad makes a mean barbaque. second we are not islamic! what ever we have that is close to islam is there becouse of our fear of getting discovered all those centuries ago.

zaza 24-Oct-2005 18:10

I also found this site through while browsing for information about lebanon. The idea that there are Druze in China, and they are lost there :). If its the same Giant China that they are lost in, then I don't think there is hope of finding the few in the big crowd of 1.6 billion people. Its only through Internet access there that we could know about their existence. The pictures are familiar as I do come from a village where few of my relatives wear the same costumes. Regards to all.

Bei Dawei 20-Oct-2005 12:52

Hello everyone! I'm living in Taiwan, and found this site through Wikipedia. I'm curious about what is in the "Book of Wisdom" and other scriptures. Most sites (in English) don't give a coherent view, just compare with Islam and so on. One site does, but I'm a little suspicious of it since he also talks about Atlantis. Apparently some things are secret, but what about all the stuff you tell your kids?

Oh, and another thing. Apparently there's a tradition that China has a lost group of Druze or something. Can anybody tell me the details? (I mean, of course they're "lost" but what does the tradition say, exactly?) Thanks!

Ayoub 16-Oct-2005 20:53

Its Very Funny the way we Identify our selfs..
I'm a humanBeing only... My Religion is Druz!
We belong to our religions simply because we are born having this or that religion.
Druz doesn't meet with all religions especialy islam, read the following:
Druz are not obliged to Pray.. they say we read our book
Druz doesn't have to stop eating in Specific date... although they can do it
and many others...
For the person who said that the idea of transmigration doesn't make sense, The Idea is that in islam people die and stay till judgment day while druz says they are reborn multiple times till that judgement day come.

Read this Jokes:
Why Druze doesn't go to heaven when they die?
Because God Hates them so he keeps them trans.. in earth

Have a nice day

Kerin 23-Sep-2005 17:05

as an Israeli and more importantly a Jew myself I have a great deal of respect for the Druzim. specifically, the israelis. it is very comendable that they stand up for themselves in a world filled with ignorance and brainwashed hate. israel is a melting pot of all cultures, and for people to sincerely believe that israel down-grades all muslims is simply rediculous. i suggest for those of you out there who have that image in their minds to take a good look at history. most recently, there was a significant earthquake in a major city of a muslim country. this country would not except any money from for help which they so desperately needed for their people. if you are still unconvinced, i suggest you use outside resources that are available to you. ie. library, newspapers, etc. many authors of these can be biased so i suggest you look at their history and take everything they say with a grain of salt.

Ghandi 02-Sep-2005 19:47

It seems that all of the people who have written a comment about the Druze religion have little or no knowledge about it, in cases such as this it is best my brothers to keep quiet. The result of not keeping quiet is wide and largely differentiating opinions and views largely by people who seem convinced that they've falsified a religion that has lasted a great number of years in a mere one paragraph. Well done I hope your skills shine on. 10%, I was wondering whether this person actually calculated this or just thought of a number.

It is true that the Koran is written for those who are educated, those who are both wise and lawful or who strive to be. Those then pass it on etc. A great deal of the Koran is not just to be read as simply as it is laid out in front of you, but to be delved into and thought out to come to a conclusion that complies with it's 'overall' aims... this is largely the reason why you get people who suicide bomb innocents 'rather' than attacking military targets, lack of understanding of the Koran is evident here. This is of course brief and i'm diverting. Druze when dealing with the Koran look into it's philosophies and it's greater machinations, the primary basis and foundation upon which all muslims come together. We are different due to different beliefs that I would get a Hernia attempting to explain right now. Reading on the net is un-advised look in your local libraries or national, books tend to educate better in questions regarding history than the internet.

Propaganda is a choice in my opinion you can listen or not, choosing to do your own research will make your arguments stronger and prevent you 'looking' and 'sounding' like a complete ignorant fool. I would love to use some swear words but I don't think this would get posted. I apologise for being brief to those who wanted to know more.

Daniel 26-Aug-2005 11:14

Hi, I'm an orthodox Jew who is soon going to move to Israel (to Bnei Brak) to study in a yeshiva (Jewish school). It's very interesting to read something about the Druze culture and see some photos. I also recommend the Wikipedia article (it seems accurate enough), on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze . Israel should do more for the Druze people, like giving their towns equal funding to Jewish towns; I read a lot of negative news about this and I believe that it is true. Israel isn't perfect. And we Israelis (well, I'll be that soon), Jews and Druze, should stay together under all circumstances. We need each other and we can strengthen each other. As far as I'm concerned, any Muslim or Christian who shows loyalty to the state of Israel is also to be fully welcomed, we should welcome all who fight for democracy and religious freedom. Even though I'm pretty orthodox myself, I definitely believe in religious freedom for everyone, whether they follow my religion or not. I think Jews (and Druze as well) should all be well aware of what religious hatred can lead to... Jews have been through the Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusades, the Dark (Middle) Ages in Europe, the Muslim rule... And the Druze have been through similar things. We, Israelis, should build further on a state which welcomes every single refugee from the dictatorial Arabic-Islamic countries. Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East, and together we have to build it up even further, we have to get stronger. We have to cultivate the Negev, we need to build up Israel even further. Shabbat shalom!

Guest 24-Aug-2005 02:47

The true meaning of the word propaganda is best described in the actions of the arabs. All the Jews ever asked for was to live peacefully in their homeland, they never imposed their religion or beliefs on anybody.Same goes for the Druze, they believe what they believe without bothering anyone. The arabs however, have killed thousands throughout the centuries just becasue they didnt want to Islam. Think of all the countries that were forced to convert to Islam or face being brutally slaughtered.

roy 21-Aug-2005 17:03

i want to say that i have a friend that he knows his family from a previous life and he is a durzi ,the best of druze is the re incarnation, lot of people i know they re incarnate while no body came from heaven or hell to talk about his experience.

Ramy 16-Aug-2005 03:05

Greetings all,
I'm an American Druze from lebanese decent and I would just like to say from the American Druze perspective much of what I have seen from the comments are misunderstood and often racists remarks. To the ignorant of the Druze in Israel one should know the amount of persecution the Druze recieved under the Ottomans and later by neighboring Muslim Arabs (today the Palestinians) before they decided to side with the Jews upon their immigration from Europe. Although Druze religion encourages the defending of lands and living peacefully as citizens of the countries they reside in, their choice of helping Israel was by choice. Let me make myself clear, I am not pro-Israel in its government policies towards the occupation and the treatment of Palestinians but the fact is the Jews promised Druze rights, their land, and own courts while the majority of Palestinian Muslims were keen on maintaining the centuries of discrimination against them. Therefore as a Druze, I am understanding of other Druze in Israel who support it not only as their state, but as their identity and protector and every Israeli knows the sacrifices the Druze have made to show their loyalties to Israel.
As a people, most Druze in America are united by language, culture, and family values rather than for the religious purposes. Thousands of Druze, like myself would like to know everything about our relgion but we are dismayed to have to choose to go "all in" (like the men in pictures above) or recieve minimal preaching about who we should be as followers of the faith. What has united the Druze have been the pride in their culture, land, heritage and most of all SURVIVAL (much like the Jews) in the most extreme circumstances. This is why we are conservative and "secretive" about our faith--this has been adopted to avoid persecution throughout the centuries.
True our faith contains parts of Islam (a lot has been incorporated out of fear for survival), as it does with Christianity and Judaism as well Greek philosophy. We are a loving people but ruthless in our defense of identity and lands. The Druze can never be truly understood until they are fully accepted--sadly Israel has done the best job thus far.

I speak no more than the truth I know.

True Abdullah 10-Aug-2005 13:02

Is it or is it not an excuse, to use the fact that you a few of your beliefs are vaguely based on Islam? Even a non-believer can see that you are no more than idolisers. Tariq al-Hak�m claimed to be God and your people said yes you are. If your people are that intellectually challenged then you cannot blame but anybody but yourselves for the persecution you faced over the years. Just like the Muslims of today. I think Sheikh Hamza put it best�.. The Americans and Brits are dropping smart bombs on dumb Muslims. We deserve our punishment. And we should accept it with grace, why? Because you would rather it envelop us in this life than the next�� see you all on the other side ;)

Guest* 08-Aug-2005 17:43

Mina, God is one for all ppl, but truth is not seen by all ppl... changing religions is not the major thing in search for truth, if u want you can follow your own way as long as it is a right one, and if you know the truth then u can judge on religions. And you r right, clever minds and smart ppl have already made up their minds about this, that's y druze r still there since ages!
Eyal, if some druze volunteer it doesn't mean they represent all the druze as many are jailed for refusing the service. Does it mean that jews who refuse to volunteer represent the jewish community and means that jews r against their army?!! i don't think so...

Rgrds

mina 04-Aug-2005 11:45

Hi... thank you very much for the information you provided on the druzr religion.
BUT one question pops out permamently into my mind: WHICH GOD DOES NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN HIS RELIGION????? the druze community doesn't allow any body from another religion to convert into druze, and this is just a non sense, and clever minds will never ever believe in such heresie.
what's wrong with you druze??? think with your brain, I'm sure that smart people already made up their minds on this weird religion

Eyal Dor-Ofer 04-Aug-2005 07:48

Thank you guest for your comment. Just one addition: Many Druze volunteer for proffesional military service beyond the compalsery service.

Guest* 03-Aug-2005 23:28

Hi,
I came to this site while surfing the net. I am a druze, and was surprised to see what some have written without knowing many basic facts about druze.
First, I would like to say that most sites on the net and many books don't give right info about the druze becuase most of them are not written by druze, and many are influenced by political and other religious factors. What I want to mention is that Druze as it is known nowadays is based on Quran, but the difference is that it goes much deeper into the meanings of the Quran and philosophies. The same thing applies regarding the Bible and others like the old Greek philosophies (that's why some of you commented on the 10% issue, the deeper meanings of things are much more important and even sometimes different from the way they appear to be!)
Every druze can know his/her religion, but some of them prefer to be religious people(as shown in the pix), while others live a normal life like all other people.
As for Israel, the druze are forced to join the army for the military service, and those who refuse that are jailed (just to clarify it to some who consider the druze as killing other palastinians).
On the otherhand, the land where the druze live is very important to them, and they defend it with all the neams and it is sometimes easier for them to die than being thrown away from their lands and loosing honor, and history is full of examples on that. But this doesn't mean that the druze aspire to have their own country, as this is against their religion, since religion has nothing to do with politics "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's". So, the druze in Israel have been there since centuries and would never leave their land, the same applies to the druze in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. And even those who are settled in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, they belong to these countries but most are still connetced to their roots and origins, and it's not required from a druze to show everybody else that he's a druze as religion is for the self only and the direct relationship with God, and not to influence others, as each human being is independent and free as he is created.

Rgrds to all...

Maryium 29-Jul-2005 22:08

*****Hi, I learnt so much about Druze here that I didnt know before. But what surpirses me most is: Druze people know that their religion has taken only 10% of Quran and yet they are ok with it. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM? YOU EITHER TAKE THE ENTIRE HOLY BOOK OR YOU LEAVE IT. No, instead they only adopted few parts that they like. And they are proud of it. UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!
Ok you guys want more pictures? Here I ll show you pictures that will open your eyes, CHECK M OUT: http://www.geocities.com/sara1000.geo/

Yabak 26-Jul-2005 04:31

If speaking Arabic is the only standard for defining an Arab, the large number of Jews who lived in Arabic lands would also be Arabs. I'm not going to attempt to define the Druze either as Arabs or non-Arabs, that's not my place. I believe the racial distinctions between Jews, Arabs and Druze to be non-existent or at least insignificant. But I think non-Druze should avoid telling Druze where there homeland is and isn't. Some probably do feel Israel is their home, others may prefer other identities and citizenships. Broad generalizations about people aren't accurate. Israel does do bad things. I do not want this to be used by people to slander my Jewish identity or the integrity of my Israeli relatives. Just as I would never group Arabs or Muslims with the Taliban, I would expect to never be grouped with Sharon. The only homeland I have is Israel. I don't demand control of it, but only to call it home and to visit my relatives who live there.

raashid mehmood 17-Jul-2005 01:45

hi i m raashid from pakistan i m muslim of arab origin
i saw this site and its hard 2 beleive dat israeli can bear any other religious group growing in occupied land and that 2 an arab
its a false zionist propoganda
any how nice 2 know about the human loving behavior of druze people
hi 2 all druz bye

hussam 10-Jul-2005 02:27

we as "druz" don't constitute a threat to any other religion
sense is something and religion is something else
{live and let live}

Guest 03-Jul-2005 12:53

Iam not a druz but Iam going out with someone that is. Her parents are very firm druze believers. We are totally in love with each other but she cannot take it any further due to her parents; they simply would not allow it. Is there anyway or how in this religion where I may be accepted?

Guest 25-May-2005 18:21

Ahmed Salem get a life. If they considered Syria their home they would simply move to Syria which they have the means and opportunity to do.

The Druz have been loyal Israeli Citizens from the start of Israel and they are not forced into the army out of poverty they do it as their civic obligation. Druz have equal protection and rights under Israeli Law which can not be said of any Arab Nation. The Druz of Israel have experienced more prosperity then Arabs in Arab Nations. The average Druz is much richer then the average Arab.

There is absoloutly nothing you said that is correct, and what you said reveals you to be a racist hypocrite that wants to reduce the Druz to just being Arabs and denying their rich and unique culture and set of beliefs.

Because the Druz mostly identify themselves as Israelis and consider Israel their home (Not foriegn land they have means and oportunity to move to any time) Druz community leaders petitioned the Knesset to make service in the IDF for Druz men and women an obligation (Same with the Alawites in Israel).

Jamal 21-May-2005 12:29

the Druz are a heretic branch of Islam, they do not constitute to be muslims. Obviously if one calls himself a Druz he doesnt want to be called a muslim first of all. Second of all Druz religion has to do with the birth of Freemasonry, just as freemasonry is considered to be a Christian org. in reality it is of pagan origins. the 5 pointed star or the pentagram in the pictures are a sign of their affiliation with freemasonry. Just as the Ismailis with the Assasins and the Druz.

Hosaisy 20-May-2005 19:55

To the guest from May 2005, the pride of the Druze comes not only from reading religous scripts and follow the word, but it comes from understanding of universal logic. They believe that in order to have a "fair" trial in the end of time, one cannot be judged only for one life (What if one dies at birth ?) therefor , their belief is that, at death, one's soul moves to a new body at its birth and keeps on living. Therefor, giving God the tools to give one another chance, and teaches one to be kind to all people because one might end up being born anywhere to any family.

Moreover, the Druze are very aware of their religion, and know the basics without becoming fanatics like it might happen in other religions. They believe in one God for all and that all religions are connected via many ifead and belief systems. They don't aspire for having their own country because they do'nt believe in controling others lives, they believe that God doesn't favor any particular group but he might select indiveduals to be closer to him. The Druze have survived centuries of hardship because the understood human nature and the corrupting effects of misunderstood words of God.
So, think of them as people who see the world in a very equatic way, with tolerance and understanding, think of them as a group of people that have reached the level of self contention that you and I should be aspiring for. Learn from them and live better and perhaps, longer.

To Solafa I say that the only way that Universal Justice can exist is by Transmigration system, for God to offer anyone a fair hearing, one has to have lived multiple lives and gone through multiple cercumstances and exposures.

WOMEN. The Druze religion is one of few world religions that afford women the right to divorce and under normal cercumstances will get half of everything. By design the marriage sacrement allows the women to change her mind at the last minute and she will totally protected by religion and community. The equality between men and women comes from the same believe that we are all equal and God favors no one.

Bob 19-May-2005 00:40

Nice site, don't listen to others, freedom of speech is important

Ahmed Salem 18-May-2005 02:08

NO!!! THE DRUZ DO NOT CONCIDER ISRAEL THEIR HOME LAND - THEY SEE OCCUPIED PALESTINE AND JOLAN HEIGHTS AS THEIR HOMELAND . AN ISRAELI WANTS TO SPREAD HIS ZIONEST PROPAGANDA VIA PHOTOS. THEY LOOK WITH ANGUISH TO THE DAY THEY RETURN TO SYRIA AND REUNITE WITH THEIR PEOPLE. ISRAEL PAIED VERY LITTLE ATTENTION OR DEVELOPMENT TO THEIR REIGION AND OUT OF POVERITY AND LACK OF EMPLOYEMENT THEY FOUND THEMSILVES SERVING IN THE OCCUPIERS ARMY (SAME AS WITH NEKEB DESERT ARABS). THEY SHOULDN'T BE SPECIFIED AS NON-ARAB AS THE PHOTOGRAPHER TRIED. THEY HAVE VERY AUTHENTIC ARABIC TOUNGE AND HABITS. THAT SORT OF GREETING SHOWN IN PICTURE IS ALSO THE SAME AS USED BY GREAT SAHARA DWELLERS AND DESERT OF LYBIA BEDUIANS. SHAME ON YOU ZIONESTS THEIVES OF LAND AND PEOPLES.

solafa 16-May-2005 05:01

solafa,
i just want to ask a question, what is going to happen with that soul that keeps on moving from one to another (Transmigration)????
If there's no end for our lives, so why we are living now?????
if you don't know the answers for these questions ,then that means that there is no target in this religion.
sorry, but we have brains to think......

JAD al_Hakim 16-May-2005 04:50

Jad,
i think that this religion has no sense, with all my respect.
just ask yourself a question,how do you be proud of something you don't know about...you know what do i mean?????

Guest 06-May-2005 20:04

To Amanda,
I am surprised there isn't not even one photo of a woman. There should be a few. But as I can not guarantee when one may be posted, I can tell that uqqal (relegious)women wear long black or navy blue skirts and tops, or dresses and large snow white head covers. Some people call them veils but I do not think they are even close to veils. The head covers are just different and constitute a unique identity of Druze women. To compare them to veils is unfair and simply wrong.

Guest 06-May-2005 19:51

I came across this site as I was surfing the net. It looks good, but definitely not enough.
To Natale from Australia, I know how frustrating it may be when you can't find what you want.If you read this, let me know what you want to know. I'll try to help.

R.Divekar 30-Apr-2005 15:31

Hi all, I came across this site surfing, and was looking up on the druz religion. http://wikipedia.com has an exellent section on this religion. as to someones question here, druz do allow women to part of the inner circle or the uqqal. these pictrures are nice.

Tracey 01-Apr-2005 21:50

Thank you for this informative and beautiful piece about these mysterious people. I have a new-found respect for this apparently peaceful people.

NATALE HALIME 07-Feb-2005 04:06

hi,
this email is coming from australia, my grandfather was a druze from allay in lebanon. it is dispointing that i cant find out more on this religion, the little that i know is a guess, common sense.

Druz 18-Jan-2005 23:28

hi.. i am druz..
and i have to say that our religion is only 10% based on the Koran or the explanatations lying beyond the words of the Quran..
it is important to understand that Druz religion is sooo pure and nice.. believe me.. it learn u to believe in God for the love of God and not for the fear of him

Guest 17-Jan-2005 18:08

Je trouve cette initiative (le fait de mettre l'accent sur l'existence d'autres cultures et ethnies en Israel)tr�s int�ressante,je pense que cette terre la, la terre d'Israel, atoujours �t� le berceau de plusieurs �thnies et cultures et le restera.
Cependant, je suis assez sceptique sur ce qui concerne la religion des Druz et le fait que leur religion se base sur le Coran.

Guest 10-Jan-2005 00:01

Some inaccuarcies: checkout the section on Druzism in Islam by Caesar E. Farah

Amanda 08-Jan-2005 20:34

No women?

-Amanda

S 08-Jan-2005 05:03

I think ''propoganda'' by Israel is bogus. This gallery shouldnt be a forum for your rantings-get a life. Its about knowing other cultures, not dragging down other people.

Dody 09-Nov-2003 20:28

I think this idea of showing pictures is necessary. It is a great way to inform the un-informed. For instance, I have heard very little (next to nothing) about the Druze and the Armenians there and what their life is about. How can we become "the brotherhood of man" if we don't even KNOW our brothers and sisters in the world? Israel is mostly propagandized as being for Jews and thereby giving us the impression of a very racist state. The Occupation practically cements this in the minds of the world; that one group is superior & righteous(Jews), and one group is inferior and dangerous(Arabs). This is the ugliest kind of propaganda. Your efforts to show the full picture is to be commended. It helps to crack open and expose the brainswashed lies of so called leaders, all of us in the world live under.

click on thumbnails for full image

Traditional Druz Hats	73520026-w.jpg	73520021-w.jpg	73520019-w.jpg
In Nebi Shuwaib	73520025-w.jpg	Druz Greeting	73520003-w.jpg
73520023-w.jpg	73520030-w2.jpg	73520022-w.jpg	73520035-w.jpg
73520027-w.jpg	73520016-w.jpg	73520001-w.jpg	An Armenian priest

janosz		25-Jul-2006 14:05
Hi there, With all this trouble in Lebanon right now, this arwfull invasion, i wondered about a sollution.. Somehow i figuered that the Druze could be so helpfull in this.. a: the religional bounderies, cosnsisting elements of multiple religions. The pragmatic nature, seeking truth. b: for being geograficly situated in both israel and leboanon (inc. parlimental history in both!!). c for having such an adaptive (non-violent) history. I don't know about the druze's capability of negotion between party's, since they have this secretive way of expressing their religion, but to me it just looks to good to be true. A embodiment of a peaceful mix of both worlds, this must work.. Maybe some of you could comment on this toppic.. I would be delighted to here about it from any druze's perspective. Gr. Roland Source wikipedia & personal friendship with druze in kibbutz.

rani saad		13-Jun-2006 14:57
0 i know some of the ppl in pics.. some r from bait jann

soltan basha		06-Jun-2006 20:19
what an An Armenian priest have to to with this ?

rany saad		04-Jun-2006 16:21
o and this is bait jann in year 1976 http://www6.snunit.k12.il/druz/16a.html

rany saad		04-Jun-2006 16:18
hi every body i am rani i just wanna say ..may god bless you aiman and i agree with every thing u said.. by the way "i am druze(mouahed)"..and i am proud bieng druze.. i live in israel in a place called bait jann its on a head of a mountin a really beautiful place to live in sarounded by nature..i would love to talk to druze ppl all over the world... if any one wanna ask any thing a bout my religion can email me : rany11s@hotmail.com

Guest		31-May-2006 12:35
Hi...Well it was interesting reading all of these comments. I agree that we dont live in the perfect world, however why cant we fight for what we want abd believe in. I guess my story is quite similar to so many of you. I'm a muslim who's inlove with a durzi guy, for so long now. Neither can I take the deceision of walking away nor does he. Still he wont give up his religion nor his family for me, at least I do believe so. I dont want ppl telling me do it now and it's going to hurt now rather than waiting longer. I need a solution, not a remedy, I want to be with that person. I just dont know what to do....

Guest		28-May-2006 12:12
To ALL, WE are Druze, We are proud of being so, It is enough for us to know who we are, and since we are not hurting any other religion, We dont care what others think about us. By the way we are muslims, like it or not.

ali		23-May-2006 19:09
hi the druze ,this name for famile fram islam that belive oure god and the true name of the druze was al-mouahdon

Ari Kakayi		07-May-2006 05:35
I am Kakayi from Kurdistan of Iraq and im half american half kurdish but i am kakayi and kakayi which is also called ahl-i-haqq, yarsan, and of course Kakayi. We are very very similar to Druze, we dont shave our moustache. We share the same beliefs as well. We do fast 3 days, but we have been victims of islam for thousands of years, we have similar beliefs also with Zorastrians but we have a very open religion and id like to talk with somebody Druze sometime email me....ari_weled@yahoo.com

Lizard Queen		25-Apr-2006 17:47
To Nathan - Please e-mail me would like to meet you someday! :) hehehe...I have recently ended a relationship which lasted 2 years.WHy? Of course religion.. i can't think of a way to start this..Where to start..Which aspect of life do i comment on first..Do i go back 2000 years or start from today?...either way it all comes back to fear..Why did we invent God..For me it is from fear of Being meaningless..Fear from the unknown..Well it is very convenient to invent a religion (theory)from which we can implement laws ,obtain power(that is money) as well as become "spiritual"...It is also good to take good leaders, thinkers as our prophets of the "higher truth" sent from some supreme being called god which we are supposed to love,adore ,pray to,kill for, sacrifice to etc..( if IT does exist it must be some egoistic maniac)..But here my opinions about religion, god, or anything spiritual, or life itself is irrelevant..As i don't consider my ideas to be the TRUTH, i accept the fact that i, (or anyone for that matter) , don't know..I have been raised with the freedom of choice..I chose to think , to ask , to explore, to read, to feel, to CHOOSE....I chose to lead and not to follow...I've built and am still building my character, i'm growing as an individual, always learn , never stop..I draw my "theories" and conclusions from experiences not from something someone once said or wrote..I do listen and respect but for me to know something and to be able to explain it is through living it....So my life is based on living in the moment, experiencing life in its full..Have my morals..KNow right from wrong..I respect and ask to be respected back..BLADIADADADA..My sentences are not formulated properly..I cannot catch my thoughts and put them in order because i am writing this under influences (no not LSD!) of pain..Pure heartache..My world and everything i believed in were knocked down...My illusions are gone and i ,like each of you out here, don't like the face of reality..All i'm looking for are some answers...Or maybe different questions....I thought a bit of background before asking them would be helpful but i couldn't manage to do that either..Well I hope someone out there finds some sense in my mess... What makes one truth more truthful than the other ( "religious truth")? Religious people, you all have nice explanations about everything and anything,i will accept that, but you should also accept the fact that most of you are hypocrits, WHY DON'T YOU PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH...For eg...Equality , love for all human beings bladiladida..How come then when it comes to LOVE the essence of existence, it is you, the religious ones that try to make it impossible.You demolish and reject ,spit and step on everything that is and should be made in the name of love.Tell me how can your TRUTH be so great when nothing you do ever comes from your heart , instincts ,and in the name of love..All you do is supress your emotions, stop yourself from living because of the ideals , and "morals" of other people who lived 1000 years ago!..And DRUZE..the only reason why you can't marry and why your parents parents parents were told to disown their children in the case they do follow their heart is because it's the only way to enlarge your group therefore become powerful, and when you do nothing will be "so secretive and special " anymore..You will become same as all mainstream religions....But You still haven't figured out the beliefs yet so you can't afford to become as big..And when people do ask the only answer is "we know the truth the ultimate truth but the world is not ready to receive it yet"..YOU KNOW SHIT.....Peace to all the people who are doing good to themselves and society by following their heart and doing things in the name of love..Not fear , pressure and guilt...

DRUZ OF GOLAN HIGHTS		23-Apr-2006 11:14
druze of Golan Hights in Isreal read about them and you will know meaningful information.

aiman		16-Apr-2006 21:57
dear queen solitair..... we born druze as everybody in this world born in one religion.if u want to go out,you can but i will try ta say to you why you can`t go out. 1-our religion is very fair with woman.may be is the best.man can`t marry second woman and she has the right of divorce and has material & sociable rights she can ask for. 2-in our religion u can adore our god whenever & wherever u want. 3-right i do agree with you that we have so many traditional & ignorant customs but we gain these from thousands of years in the middle east. 4-life always should have some restricts to domain society if not we will act like animals of course because our instinct is so strong. 5-finally , so many young druze around the world are like you but beleive me you are in the right in the tawhid of allah the most beautiful and powerfull.just i want to ask you to study about us with somebody who understand druze because it seems that your family may not have enough information about this great & beutiful society and religion.u may write for me.u r welcome because i like druze who are mouwahidin.may god bless you.

someone		21-Mar-2006 17:51
Its very simple, u do have the freedom of choice u can marry a person who is not a Druze. We believe that all people reincarnate, and when the Druze religion opened its doors and welcomed people to join it in 1017 AD, those who believed are Druze and those who didn�t are simple not. So don�t ask us why u can�t join the religion, because if your soul (which in the Druze religion is much more important than the body, because our religion is spiritual, just like heaven) really believed in it than it should have joined it at that time. U should have known that from the beginning, u could have ended the relationship at that point but u choose to ignore reality. there is nothing called love from the first sight there is attraction only , u could have put a barrier from the beginning .at the end when u marry that person u are still a Druze but your children are not whether your a man or a woman , don�t be forced to follow what your parents want. If u truly believe in the religion than marry a Druze who u love, and if u don�t than you�re going to choose your own faith. As for the other lady, u cant judge religions by the few people u meet, I agree with u that there are some Druze men who r retarded, but look around u and you�ll see that it�s in every single religion. Our religion gave us the freedom of choice in Islam a woman is forced to wear a scarf around her head when she reaches puberty, while our u can choose whether to wear the traditional dress our not. u can choose to be religious or not and it will not be considered as a sin like in other religions .at the end we all believe in god a bad Druze is going to burn In hell like any other bad person from a different religion, and a good Druze will hopefully end up in heaven just like any other person. The only difference is that we have different beliefs just like the Christians differ for the Jewish or Muslims.

Queen Solitair		16-Mar-2006 03:36
Hi, I am not much for talking about my religion because, frankly, I don't know much about the history or how we have come to be. And to tell you the truth I am not at all that interested. All I know is that I was born into this religion with out any choice. I do not agree with many, many things we are "so called" supposed to believe in and I really don't understand why there is no freedom of choice in this case. Mainly because I have lived most of my life in Canada and have grown up along side many other cultures and have seen many different kinds of beliefs. One major thing I do not believe in or agree with is how we are not able to choose our own faith and choose what works best for ourselves as individuals. I "have" to do what others want me to do and try to obey the rules that have been forced on me. I have had such a hard time growing up and trying to live a life that I do not want for myself. I am an independent, strong willed, and smart woman. I am a social worker, and the main reason I wanted to become a social worker is to help woman and children that have been oppressed by their religion and families deal with this major problem. I have suffered a great deal of depression due to this lack of freedom of choice and I am only one person trying to change this rule of being "born" into a religion because I think it is unfair and unasked for to begin with. I wish that we had a choice and an ability to practice what ever we want and that will bring us individual satisfaction. I to am oppressed and at times I feel that there is nothing I can do without being disowned by my family. I love my family dearly and would never want to disappoint them, and in this way I feel trapped and controlled by this ordeal. My question is; how do I live happily as I want to without disappointing or shaming my family? I do not like druze guys, I have never met a druze person I have actually enjoyed or wanted to be around. I am not attracted or proud of the kind of druze guys I have met over the years. I would rather stay single forever than to marry a druze person. I know that is being very stereotypical and maybe even putting down my own culture, but that is how I feel based on my past experiences with druze men. Is there a compromise? Can there be something done to be free of this situation? I think not.... if anyone has any kind of answer I would surly appreciate to know about it. I want a future based on MY decisions and my own beliefs. This is the hardest thing I have to live with, maybe I will wait for the day this world truly has Freedom, truly believes in Equality and Freedom of Choice for all people.

Guest		04-Mar-2006 21:55
Love between a person who's Druze and someone from another religion can't be accepted because of their beliefs. I, myself, am in love with a guy who's Druze and we can't be together. We love eachother very much. But there just can't be something between us.

GUEST		03-Feb-2006 15:16
Greeting to all Druz, i am not a Druz but my girlfreind family members are, father side, the religion (Druz)to me is a scapegoat. How are people saying this religion is nice and honest. It won't even consist love between 2 people. I am a Black man who is deeply in love with a libanese woman who's father is a Druz. But now after a 4 year relationship, we must part ways and not be together anymore. Not because we dont love each other or we can't stand each other anymore. Its because of how her family will react to us being in love. Love isn't something that's planned it jus happens. We've known each other for over 15 years there's never been anything so right. But as hard as it is for me, its even harder for her. Because our love is so strong we can never be apart. Certain circumstances apply in life that man has no control over. I wish it were siple just to walk up to her parents and tell them how we feel but they would never accept it. My question to all Druz all over the world is why can't love be accepted in your religion, why can't a black man be with a libanese woman who's family members happen to be Druz???

Don		29-Nov-2005 04:29
The Druze people spread all over the world we are no long just Arabs, or Isrealis, or syrian etc. The Druze are Canadians, Americans, Australians and have spread to many part of the western nations. If you attend a Druze Convention in the U.S, you will be amazing by the many languages spoken , hebrew, spanish, english, french, Italian, russian, arabic etc. But in the end we are all one big happy family, and though we grow up in many lands and cultures, we still have our common values and beliefs. What is funny is that there are so many negative opinions about us, even though we dont preach, we mind our own business religiously, yet you will still see a consistent level of negatively at the Druze by the main-stream Muslim community due to a lack of education and arrogance, though the Druze are an Arab people of origin, you cant blame them for sideing with the Israelis over all, though the Jews have their differences with the druze, they still manage to show a greater level of respect than there arab counter-parts as you can see from the posts.

Eyal Dor-Ofer		22-Nov-2005 09:01
Natan, Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze Best, Eyal

Nathan		22-Nov-2005 02:33
I just read through all of the comments posted and I have learned next to nothing about the Druze religion. All of you do not know what you are talking about, I'm sorry but it's true. You need to take a close look at what you believe and ask yourselves why you believe? Speaking of believe, you don't know what you believe, for crying out loud you could be any religion. In Druze you are supposed to be good, honest, pure, not drink, smoke, or sleep around... okay, but name one of the better known religions that are any different. What one must look at is; 1. Do I believe this because I am told to or because I honestly think it's the truth and the way to heaven and a better way of living. 2. Do I really know what I believe and is there any way for me to confirm my beliefs. 3. Saying that Druze is the truth and the way to heaven, what about the rest of the world. Are we all damned to hell? Or do we have to wait a million years until we are reincarnated into a Druze person so we stand a chance to see God. What happens to "non-believers"? 4. If reincarnation is true and it is meant so each time you live your life you are to live it as a better person, why can't one remember anything about their previous life and exactly what they did. Sure, I have heard stories about people who claimed to be reincarnated and even knew their previous family members by name... but has there ever been any proof of this whatsoever? What is the point of reincarnation if there is not a complete memory of the previous life? My parents taught me ever since I was little to question everything, to know what I believe and why I believe it. They never wanted me fallowing them blindly. They left the choice of my religious beliefs completely up to me. If what you believe is forced or free I would say, "question it". Know what you believe and why you believe it. Don't start talking about what your dad or mom believes in, what do YOU believe. Now question it and see if it is true. If it's not the truth than go somewhere else for truth because you are not getting it where you are at.

ismael charrouf		30-Oct-2005 02:37
hi, im a ddruze from lebann currently living in the u.s.a. and all i can say to all yall critisizing my religion is... i love my religion and to me it makes sence and unlike some people i choose to follow this religion not just becouse i was raised with it. I can tell yall that muh of the stuff they wright about the fruze are not true. mostly becouse of ignorance racism and becouse the people who right this stuff are not druze thmeselves. but let me clear some of those things out. first we are not banned from pork i myself love pork and my dad makes a mean barbaque. second we are not islamic! what ever we have that is close to islam is there becouse of our fear of getting discovered all those centuries ago.

zaza		24-Oct-2005 18:10
I also found this site through while browsing for information about lebanon. The idea that there are Druze in China, and they are lost there :). If its the same Giant China that they are lost in, then I don't think there is hope of finding the few in the big crowd of 1.6 billion people. Its only through Internet access there that we could know about their existence. The pictures are familiar as I do come from a village where few of my relatives wear the same costumes. Regards to all.

Bei Dawei		20-Oct-2005 12:52
Hello everyone! I'm living in Taiwan, and found this site through Wikipedia. I'm curious about what is in the "Book of Wisdom" and other scriptures. Most sites (in English) don't give a coherent view, just compare with Islam and so on. One site does, but I'm a little suspicious of it since he also talks about Atlantis. Apparently some things are secret, but what about all the stuff you tell your kids? Oh, and another thing. Apparently there's a tradition that China has a lost group of Druze or something. Can anybody tell me the details? (I mean, of course they're "lost" but what does the tradition say, exactly?) Thanks!

Ayoub		16-Oct-2005 20:53
Its Very Funny the way we Identify our selfs.. I'm a humanBeing only... My Religion is Druz! We belong to our religions simply because we are born having this or that religion. Druz doesn't meet with all religions especialy islam, read the following: Druz are not obliged to Pray.. they say we read our book Druz doesn't have to stop eating in Specific date... although they can do it and many others... For the person who said that the idea of transmigration doesn't make sense, The Idea is that in islam people die and stay till judgment day while druz says they are reborn multiple times till that judgement day come. Read this Jokes: Why Druze doesn't go to heaven when they die? Because God Hates them so he keeps them trans.. in earth Have a nice day

Kerin		23-Sep-2005 17:05
as an Israeli and more importantly a Jew myself I have a great deal of respect for the Druzim. specifically, the israelis. it is very comendable that they stand up for themselves in a world filled with ignorance and brainwashed hate. israel is a melting pot of all cultures, and for people to sincerely believe that israel down-grades all muslims is simply rediculous. i suggest for those of you out there who have that image in their minds to take a good look at history. most recently, there was a significant earthquake in a major city of a muslim country. this country would not except any money from for help which they so desperately needed for their people. if you are still unconvinced, i suggest you use outside resources that are available to you. ie. library, newspapers, etc. many authors of these can be biased so i suggest you look at their history and take everything they say with a grain of salt.

Ghandi		02-Sep-2005 19:47
It seems that all of the people who have written a comment about the Druze religion have little or no knowledge about it, in cases such as this it is best my brothers to keep quiet. The result of not keeping quiet is wide and largely differentiating opinions and views largely by people who seem convinced that they've falsified a religion that has lasted a great number of years in a mere one paragraph. Well done I hope your skills shine on. 10%, I was wondering whether this person actually calculated this or just thought of a number. It is true that the Koran is written for those who are educated, those who are both wise and lawful or who strive to be. Those then pass it on etc. A great deal of the Koran is not just to be read as simply as it is laid out in front of you, but to be delved into and thought out to come to a conclusion that complies with it's 'overall' aims... this is largely the reason why you get people who suicide bomb innocents 'rather' than attacking military targets, lack of understanding of the Koran is evident here. This is of course brief and i'm diverting. Druze when dealing with the Koran look into it's philosophies and it's greater machinations, the primary basis and foundation upon which all muslims come together. We are different due to different beliefs that I would get a Hernia attempting to explain right now. Reading on the net is un-advised look in your local libraries or national, books tend to educate better in questions regarding history than the internet. Propaganda is a choice in my opinion you can listen or not, choosing to do your own research will make your arguments stronger and prevent you 'looking' and 'sounding' like a complete ignorant fool. I would love to use some swear words but I don't think this would get posted. I apologise for being brief to those who wanted to know more.

Daniel		26-Aug-2005 11:14
Hi, I'm an orthodox Jew who is soon going to move to Israel (to Bnei Brak) to study in a yeshiva (Jewish school). It's very interesting to read something about the Druze culture and see some photos. I also recommend the Wikipedia article (it seems accurate enough), on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze . Israel should do more for the Druze people, like giving their towns equal funding to Jewish towns; I read a lot of negative news about this and I believe that it is true. Israel isn't perfect. And we Israelis (well, I'll be that soon), Jews and Druze, should stay together under all circumstances. We need each other and we can strengthen each other. As far as I'm concerned, any Muslim or Christian who shows loyalty to the state of Israel is also to be fully welcomed, we should welcome all who fight for democracy and religious freedom. Even though I'm pretty orthodox myself, I definitely believe in religious freedom for everyone, whether they follow my religion or not. I think Jews (and Druze as well) should all be well aware of what religious hatred can lead to... Jews have been through the Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusades, the Dark (Middle) Ages in Europe, the Muslim rule... And the Druze have been through similar things. We, Israelis, should build further on a state which welcomes every single refugee from the dictatorial Arabic-Islamic countries. Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East, and together we have to build it up even further, we have to get stronger. We have to cultivate the Negev, we need to build up Israel even further. Shabbat shalom!

Guest		24-Aug-2005 02:47
The true meaning of the word propaganda is best described in the actions of the arabs. All the Jews ever asked for was to live peacefully in their homeland, they never imposed their religion or beliefs on anybody.Same goes for the Druze, they believe what they believe without bothering anyone. The arabs however, have killed thousands throughout the centuries just becasue they didnt want to Islam. Think of all the countries that were forced to convert to Islam or face being brutally slaughtered.

roy		21-Aug-2005 17:03
i want to say that i have a friend that he knows his family from a previous life and he is a durzi ,the best of druze is the re incarnation, lot of people i know they re incarnate while no body came from heaven or hell to talk about his experience.

Ramy		16-Aug-2005 03:05
Greetings all, I'm an American Druze from lebanese decent and I would just like to say from the American Druze perspective much of what I have seen from the comments are misunderstood and often racists remarks. To the ignorant of the Druze in Israel one should know the amount of persecution the Druze recieved under the Ottomans and later by neighboring Muslim Arabs (today the Palestinians) before they decided to side with the Jews upon their immigration from Europe. Although Druze religion encourages the defending of lands and living peacefully as citizens of the countries they reside in, their choice of helping Israel was by choice. Let me make myself clear, I am not pro-Israel in its government policies towards the occupation and the treatment of Palestinians but the fact is the Jews promised Druze rights, their land, and own courts while the majority of Palestinian Muslims were keen on maintaining the centuries of discrimination against them. Therefore as a Druze, I am understanding of other Druze in Israel who support it not only as their state, but as their identity and protector and every Israeli knows the sacrifices the Druze have made to show their loyalties to Israel. As a people, most Druze in America are united by language, culture, and family values rather than for the religious purposes. Thousands of Druze, like myself would like to know everything about our relgion but we are dismayed to have to choose to go "all in" (like the men in pictures above) or recieve minimal preaching about who we should be as followers of the faith. What has united the Druze have been the pride in their culture, land, heritage and most of all SURVIVAL (much like the Jews) in the most extreme circumstances. This is why we are conservative and "secretive" about our faith--this has been adopted to avoid persecution throughout the centuries. True our faith contains parts of Islam (a lot has been incorporated out of fear for survival), as it does with Christianity and Judaism as well Greek philosophy. We are a loving people but ruthless in our defense of identity and lands. The Druze can never be truly understood until they are fully accepted--sadly Israel has done the best job thus far. I speak no more than the truth I know.