Who are the Druse in the Golan Heights?

A rocket strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday that killed 12 children and teenagers in a Druse Arab village has put a focus on the Druse, an Arabic-speaking religious minority.

Israel and the United States blamed the strike in Majdal Shams on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied responsibility. The United States and Israel cited the type of weapon used and the location in Lebanon from which it was fired as evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement.

The strike highlighted the unique and delicate role of the Arab Druse communities in Israel and the region.

Who are the Druse?

The Druse are a religious group that practices a deliberately mysterious offshoot of Islam, developed in the 11th century in Egypt, that contains elements of Christianity, Hinduism, Gnosticism and other philosophies. The sect recognizes the prophets of the Abrahamic faiths, including Jesus, John the Baptist, Muhammad and Moses, and reveres Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates.

Druse doctrine is unknown even to the majority of the Druse community and has been an enigma to religious scholars. Only a select group of male and female Druse initiates, about 20 percent of the population, are taught the intricacies of the religion — known as “the wisdom” — and they are sworn to secrecy.

The Druse are monotheists who believe in reincarnation and emphasize everyday spirituality over texts and ceremony. They do not welcome converts and frown upon intermarriage.