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Muwahhidun

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Muwaḥḥidūn
موحدّون


Total population
≈800,000[1][2][3] to 2,000,000[4]
Founder
Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad[5] and Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah[6]
Regions with significant populations
 Syria600,000[7][8]
 Lebanon250,000[9]
 Israel143,000[10]
 Venezuela60,000[11]
 United States50,000[12]
 Canada25,000[13]
 Jordan20,000[14]
 Australia20,000[15]
 Germany10,000[16]
Religions
Druze
Scriptures
Epistles of Wisdom (Rasa'il al-hikma)
Languages

Muwahhidun (Template:Lang-ar), also called Druzites, are the people who follow or practice Druze, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion.[18] Muwahhidun consider the Epistles of Wisdom as their holy book and the central text of the religion. Even though the faith originally developed out of Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims.[19][20][21][22][23][24]

Muwahhidun are one of the major religious groups in the Levant region, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. They are found primarily in Lebanon, Syria, and Occupied Palestine, with small communities in Jordan. They make up 5.5% of the population of Lebanon, 3% of Syria and 1.6% of Israel. The oldest and most densely-populated Muwahhidun communities exist in Mount Lebanon and in the south of Syria around Jabal al-Druze (literally the "Mountain of the Druze").[25]

Etymology

Muwahhidun is an Arabic word, meaning monotheism.[26]

Demographics

The most populous Muwahhidun-majority country is Syria, which has a population of 600,000 representing 40–50% of Muwahhidun followed by Lebanon which has a population of 250,000 representing 30–40% of Muwahhidun and then the Israel area with 143,000 representig 6–7%. About 2% of the Muwahhidun population are also scattered within other countries in the Middle East.[27][28]

See also

  • Muslims, adherents of Islam
  • Christians, adherents of Christianity

References

  1. ^ Carl Skutsch (7 November 2013). Skutsch, Carl (ed.). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Routledge. p. 410. ISBN 978-1-135-19388-1. Total Population: 800,000
  2. ^ Robert Brenton Betts (1 January 1990). The Druze (illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Yale University Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-300-04810-0. The total population of Druze throughout the world probably approaches one million.
  3. ^ Donna Marsh (11 May 2015). Doing Business in the Middle East: A cultural and practical guide for all Business Professionals (revised ed.). Hachette UK. ISBN 978-1-4721-3567-4. It is believed there are no more than 1 million Druze worldwide; most live in the Levant.
  4. ^ Samy Swayd (10 March 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Druzes (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4422-4617-1. The Druze world population at present is perhaps nearing two million; ...
  5. ^ Hendrix, Scott; Okeja, Uchenna, eds. (2018). The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 11. ISBN 978-1440841385.
  6. ^ Daftary, Ferhad. "ḤĀKEM BE-AMR-ALLĀH". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Syria region map" (PNG). gulf2000.columbia.edu.
  8. ^ Irshaid, Faisal (19 June 2015). "Syria's Druze under threat as conflict spreads". BBC News.
  9. ^ Lebanon – International Religious Freedom Report 2008 U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2013-06-13.
  10. ^ "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. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  11. ^ "Tariq Alaiseme [reportedly to be] vice-president of Venezuela" (in Arabic). Aamama. 2013.: Referring governor Tareck El Aissami.
  12. ^ Druze Traditions, Institute of Druze Studies, archived from the original on 14 January 2009
  13. ^ "Dating Druze: The struggle to find love in a dwindling diaspora". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  14. ^ International Religious Freedom Report, US State Department, 2005
  15. ^ "Druze Population of Australia by Place of Usual Residence (2006)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Drusentum - Die geheime Religion (2020)". Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  17. ^ Berdichevsky, Norman (2004-02-13). Nations, Language and Citizenship. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2700-0.
  18. ^ Friedman, Yaron (2010). The Nuṣayrī-ʿAlawīs. Leiden: Brill. p. 44. Both Nuṣayrīs and Druzes were Shīʿī sects deeply influenced by Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. Both called themselves muwaḥḥidūn, and considered the study of esoteric knowledge as the true path to monotheism.
  19. ^ 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..
  20. ^ Pintak, Lawrence (2019). America & Islam: Soundbites, Suicide Bombs and the Road to Donald Trump. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 9781788315593.
  21. ^ Jonas, Margaret (2011). The Templar Spirit: The Esoteric Inspiration, Rituals and Beliefs of the Knights Templar. Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 9781906999254. [Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim
  22. ^ "Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are". Arab America. Arab America. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  23. ^ J. Stewart, Dona (2008). The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 9781135980795. Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.
  24. ^ Yazbeck Haddad, Yvonne (2014). The Oxford Handbook of American Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 9780199862634. While they appear parallel to those of normative Islam, in the Druze religion they are different in meaning and interpretation. The religion is consider distinct from the Ismaili as well as from other Muslims belief and practice... Most Druze consider themselves fully assimilated in American society and do not necessarily identify as Muslims..
  25. ^ Radwan, Chad K. (June 2009). "Assessing Druze identity and strategies for preserving Druze heritage in North America". Scholar Commons.
  26. ^ Friedman, Yaron (2010). The Nuṣayrī-ʿAlawīs. Leiden: Brill. p. 44. Both Nuṣayrīs and Druzes were Shīʿī sects deeply influenced by Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. Both called themselves muwaḥḥidūn, and considered the study of esoteric knowledge as the true path to monotheism.
  27. ^ Druzes, Institute of Druze Studies, archived from the original on 17 June 2006
  28. ^ Dana 2003, p. 99.