In Lebanon, some
spokespeople for the Druze community believe that the civil war in Syria will
not similarly divide their people, even though there is a division among the
Druze between those who are pro-Assad and those who are not. The Druze are an
ethnic group in the Middle East who describe themselves as “Unitarian” and are
monotheistic (even though they combine elements of many different faiths and
belief systems).
The fear was
that there was enough of a struggle between the Druze who have taken sides over
the Syrian conflict that an inter-Druze fight would begin to take place. Some
leaders of the community believe that though there have always been political
divisions throughout time, “they never developed into violence,” said Professor
Adnan Aridi. His opinion refers to a “gentlemen’s agreement” – even though
there may be discord over political issues, the Druze will never resort to
violence.
For Aridi,
the disagreements are positive because it means that no matter how the Syrian
issue is resolved, someone among the Druze will be a winner; either those who
are pro-Assad or those who favor his removal from power. For him, “A minority
cannot take the risk of adopting only one stance.” The Druze have gone so far
as to conduct talks with Hezbollah in order to prevent violence from either
within or without affecting them. The Druze have also been taking in refugees
not only from Syria but also from Israel.
This is an
interesting perspective, especially considering that within the past few weeks
it seemed like tensions within numerous religious groups were only getting
worse, for example, the differences between the Jewish denominations. The Druze
represent what seems to be a rare solidarity that will not allow politics to
interfere with their unity as a people. However, I have to wonder whether or
not these spokespeople are not speaking from their own political opinions, or
whether, as one of them said, it would be too dangerous for them as a minority
to say otherwise.
The Druze
live in many states and have served in the military of countries as Israel
(where they have been honored for their service). I have not done as much
research as I would like on their history as a people, but perhaps for them
becoming involved in the politics of another country represents a threat to
their safety. Again, these are Lebanese Druze who are weighing in on the Syrian
civil war – it does not directly affect them beyond their willingness to accept
the displaced people. This is my own theory, but it seems plausible that to
become too involved would draw too much attention to them as a group and so
they feel the need to reassure others that the differences in opinion are not
enough to make them vulnerable.
After all,
the Druze have sought safety from Hezbollah in the past. Regardless of the fact
that Hezbollah has a militant wing in its political party and it is that
faction that normally worries countries like the United States, even seeking
the shelter of a large political party (with or without the arms involved; I do
not know the particulars of their negotiations with Hezbollah) means that they
have felt threatened by the conflicts in the region before. It remains to be
seen not only how the Syrian civil war plays out, but how it will also affect
the smaller groups in the Middle East who do not want to risk taking a
particular side because the outcome could affect them negatively if they do,
such as the Druze.
Discord over Syria unlikely to spur Druze conflict
No comments:
Post a Comment