Christianity and Druze

[4] Historically, the relationship between the Druze and Christians has been characterized by harmony and peaceful coexistence,[5][6][7][1] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.

[34][35][36][37][38] Druzism is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the teachings of Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad and the sixth Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, and Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Zeno of Citium.

[46] The Druze faith originated in Isma'ilism, further split from it as it developed its own unique doctrines, and finally separated from both Ismāʿīlīsm and Islam altogether;[43][47][48] these include the belief that the Imam Al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh was God incarnate.

[83] The Druze faith further split from Isma'ilism as it developed its own unique doctrines, and finally separated from both Ismāʿīlīsm and Islam altogether; these include the belief that the Imam Al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh was God incarnate.

[19] Both religions revere Jesus,[23][24] the Virgin Mary,[26] John the Baptist,[27][28] Saint George,[122] Elijah,[27] Luke the Evangelist,[30] Job, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Zebulun, Sabbas the Sanctified and other common figures.

[156] According to Druze belief, Jesus, son of Joseph and Mary, the first limit and fifth spokesman or prophet natiq, appeared and replaced Moses' law with his own, proclaiming his message and appointing Simon Peter (Sham'un al-Safa) as his foundation.

[156] Modern Western scholars such as de Sacy, van Vloten, and Goldziher have highlighted the Messianic tendencies and the influence of Christian incarnation in the theology of early Druze founders as fundamental aspects of their doctrine.

[210] According to the scholar Francis Crawford Burkitt, in their family life, the Druze strictly observe monogamous marriages influenced by Christian norms, although divorce is readily accepted.

[222][213] The Epistles of Wisdom present a unique perspective on religions and philosophies, including Christianity and Islam, offering insights and interpretations that reflect the beliefs and teachings of the Druze faith.

[19][223] Another epistle mentions that al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah will judge humanity on Yom ed-Din, the "Last Judgment", which will occur after the overthrow of all kings, the prevalence of Christianity over Islam, the destruction of Mecca by fire, and the rise of a vast army of reincarnated Druze individuals to rule the world.

[232] Historically the relationship between the Druze and Christians has been characterized by harmony and coexistence,[5][6][7][1] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, marked by shared economic activities, cultural exchange, and even political alliances in some cases, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.

[8][233] According to scholar Pinḥas Artzi of Bar-Ilan University: "Europeans who visited the area during this period related that the Druze "love the Christians more than the other believers", and that they "hate the Turks, the Muslims and the Arabs [Bedouin] with an intense hatred".

[229] The only early Arab historian who mentions the Druze is the eleventh century Christian scholar Yahya of Antioch, who clearly refers to the heretical group created by ad-Darazī, rather than the followers of Hamza ibn 'Alī.

[246] The Taym Allah, and the largely Christian, core tribes of the Lahazim in general, appear to have fought against the Muslim conquests of eastern Arabia in the Ridda wars (632–633) and the lower Euphrates in modern Iraq afterward.

[250] The leader of the clan, Dahhak ibn Jandal allied with the Crusaders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and engaged in a feud with the Assassins who ruled the Banias fortress in the western foothills of Mount Hermon just south of Wadi al-Taym.

Certain aspects of the faith, such as transmigration of souls between adherents and incarnation, were viewed as heretical or kufr (infidelity) and foreign by Sunni and Shia Muslims,[271] but contributed to solidarity among the Druze, who closed their religion to new converts in 1046 due to the threat of persecution.

[278] Christians prospered and played key roles under his rule, with his main enduring legacy being the symbiotic relationship he set in motion between Maronites and Druze, which proved foundational for the creation of a Lebanese entity.

Phares notes that "The emirs prospered from the intellectual skills and trading talents of the Maronites, while the Christians gained political protection, autonomy and a local ally against the ever-present threat of direct Ottoman rule.

[286] Toward the close of the 16th century, the Medici grand dukes of Tuscany had become increasingly active in the eastern Mediterranean, pushed for a new crusade in the Holy Land, and began patronizing the Maronite Christians of Mount Lebanon.

[302] The British, after their Protestant missionaries were unable to win a large audience of native Lebanese Christians, supported and encouraged the Druze and supplied them with money and weapons, as did the French for the Maronites, with most of Britain and France's agents being Orientalists who spent many years in the Levant.

[313] Bitter conflicts between Christians and Druzes, which had been simmering under Ibrahim Pasha's rule (mostly centred on the firmans of 1839 and, more decisively, of 1856, which equalised the status of Muslim and non-Muslim subjects, the former resenting their implied loss of superiority) resurfaced under the new emir (Bashir Shihab III).

[314] Economic and demographic factors also played a role in undermining the peaceful coexistence of the Druze and Christian in this period, the Maronite benefited from the advantages of modernising and expanding economy, built with French assistance, disproportionately accrued to them.

[359] Common surnames among Lebanese Christians and Druze include Abi-Lamma, Assaf, Atrash, Awar, Ballout, Barakat, Daou, Dergham, Faour, Farraj, Ghannam, Halabi, Harb, Hatoum, Hilal, Ibrahim, Jaber, Kadamani, Kadi, Malaeb, Nammour, Safadi, Saker, Saleh, Serhal, Shaya, Timani, Yaghi, and others.

Notable Druze figures who studied at these institutions include Abbas Halabi, Asad Al Faqih, Majid Arslan, Marwan Hamadeh,[364] Manal Abdel Samad,[365] and Kamal Jumblatt, who attended the prestigious Collège Saint Joseph – Antoura.

The tumultuous reception that Sfeir received not only signified a historic reconciliation between Maronites and Druze, who fought a war in 1983–1984, but underscored the fact that the banner of Lebanese sovereignty had broad multi-confessional appeal[373] and was a cornerstone for the Cedar Revolution in 2005.

[377] Interaction between Christians, including members of the Maronite, Eastern Orthodox, Melkite, and other churches, and the Unitarian Druze has resulted in the establishment of mixed villages and towns in Galilee region, Mount Carmel, and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights.

[325] These include Abu Snan, Daliyat al-Karmel, Ein Qiniyye, Hurfeish, Isfiya, Kafr Yasif, Kisra-Sumei, Majdal Shams, Maghar, Peki'in, Rameh and Shefa-Amr,[325] where more than 82,000 Druze and 30,000 Christians reside together.

[402][403] Of the four remaining Syrian Druze communities in the Israeli-occupied territories (on Israel's side of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights), Majdal Shams is the largest,[404] together with Ein Qiniyye, Mas'ade, and Buq'ata.

[440] He also observes that prior to Syrian independence, Christian villages in Hauran enjoyed protection from Druze clans, such as Al-Hamdan and Al-Atrash, shielding them from frequent attacks by Bedouins from neighboring regions.

In 1043, Baha al-Din al-Muqtana; one of the main leaders of the Druze religion, declared that the sect would no longer accept new adherents, and since that time, proselytism has been prohibited,[118] awaiting al-Hakim's return on Judgement day to usher in a new golden age.