Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity & Status

Discusses the Druze in the Middle East in general, with a particular focus of the Druze relationship with the State of Israel. Part I - Faiths, Commandments, and the Life-Cycle - deals with practical religious commandments, religious rights and ceremonies, and the life-cycle of the individual. Original material is presented that places the Druze unequivocally as members of an independent faith with their own unique identity. Part II - Spiritual Leadership and Community Organisation - treats the spiritual leadership in various countries of the Middle East throughout their history. This leadership is of great importance in administering the life of the Druze community. Part III - Population, Society, and Identity in Israel - discusses the role of family, society, and religious identity, and the changes in attitudes that have taken place in recent generations. Part IV - Laws of Personal Status - is an analysis of the laws of personal status of individuals, and of the implementation of these laws in practice in the Druze religious courts.