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| A sectarian map of Lebanon: note the Maronite and Druze strongholds at the very heart of the country. The Sunni have a heavy presence in the major coastal towns from Tarablus (Tripoli) to Sayda (Sidon) and the sparsely populated north. The south and the fertile Beqaa valley to east are predominantly Shi'a, strongholds of the Hizbullah and the Amal Movement. |
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt wondered in 2009 "The Maronites and Druze have become the red Indians of Lebanon. In light of the Sunni-Shiite conflict in the region, there is a new Lebanon and a new political geography will surface ". (Al-Akhbar daily)'"
These remarks are so true and explain in a nutshell the fact that the Christian Maronites and the heterodox Shi'a sect called the Druze have been Lebanon's historical backbone. These two communities have now somehow been relegated to a back seat position by the emergence of the Sunni and the Shi'a communities both in power and demographics.
Lebanese politics is mainly a perpetual challenge to preserve the extra fragile balance between the 18 officially recognized sects and communities. Lebanon has always been and will remain a land of fragile coexistence between theses various factions. Today most of the headlines go to the classical rivalry between the Sunni and the Shi'a Islam communities, yet historically the greatest struggle and love-hate relationship of Lebanon were between the Christian community called the Maronites and the Druze. They can be considered the historical main founding fathers of today's Lebanon and some would argue the country was carved out of Greater Syria to accommodate them in an independent country. I will try to explain both what unites and what divides these two rival communities, which I call Lebanon's Odd couple.
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| The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus Libani. Mount Lebanon used to be almost completely covered with cedars. The superb qualities of the cedar wood, beautiful color, hardness, exquisite fragrance, resistance to insects, humidity and temperature,incited Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and others to use it extensively. The Phoenicians built their trade ship and military fleets from cedar wood. Kings David's and Salomon's Palaces were not the exception. Cedar may attain a height of 120' , a diameter of 9' feet and live for centuries. Today after centuries of over-cutting, there only a few hundred trees left mostly in the north near the Maronite Becharreh village and in the Druze controlled Barouk area. Note the protective walls around the gorge above built in the 19th century to keep out grazing animals. (photo credit: Habeeb.com) |
Lebanon has always been unique and a land where more than 18 ethnic and religious communities cohabit but also constantly compete and clash. The Sunni or the Shi'a and the Druze on the Muslim side and on the Christian side the Maronites, the Greek Orthodox, the Greek Catholic (Melchites), Armenians, Assyrians and Syriac. Other ethnic and religious communities such as Alawites, Kurds, Palestinians, Protestants, Assyrians are also present and active. (Note: like the Maronites, the Greek Catholic and the Syriac Catholic are in communion with the Vatican).
Is there a particular reason for Lebanon's such diverse mosaic and often clashing cultures? One of the easiest explanations is the existence of the two mountain chains of Mount Lebanon and Anti Lebanon running parallel to the Mediterranean. This unique topography in a region of vastly flat land has allowed for many fringe or minority groups to historically settle there in the coastal areas and up in the mountains for relative safety. From the Hittites to the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab Islam, Crusades, Ayyubid, Ottomans, Mameluke to the French Colonial rule, Lebanon has seen and tasted it all: but the country of the Cedar has always remained a refuge for many persecuted and minority groups and all this reflected in the co-existing communities making up a rich and very volatile mosaic of the tiny country.
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Deir el Qamar: The quintessential Maronite-Druze mixed town, central to both communities as well as Capital of the Emirs of Mount Lebanon. It was the scene of violent confrontation and massacres between the Druze and the Maronites notably in 1860 and the 1980's civil war, the Druze gaining the upper hand on all occasions. Deir El-Qamar is unique in Lebanon, declared a World Heritage by UNESCO. Shortly after Emir Fakhreddine II came to power in 1590, a chronic water shortage in nearby Baaqline forced him to move his capital to Deir Al-Qamar and ruled there until his death in 1635. The town remained the residence of the governors of Lebanon until the 18th century, when Emir Bechir II Chehab moved the capital to Beiteddine (see below). In the square there is a mosque constructed in 1493 by Emir Fakhreddine I Maan for his Muslim mercenary soldiers. Behind the mosque is a 19th century Souk as well as a Silk Khan. Nearby is the 17th century synagogue, built to serve the Jewish population, some of whom were part of the immediate entourage of Emir Fakhreddine II.
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Two communities at the very heart of the Mount Lebanon and at the very epicenter of Modern Lebanese history of miracles and disasters. Sunnis were (are) mostly city dwellers having the protection of centuries of Sunni Empires, while the Shi'a, a tiny minority in the Near east were always marginalized and even oppressed. The Near East is a Sunni dominated area since the Omayyad Empire.
Maronites and the Druze: Centuries long rivalry, cohabitation, massacres, mutual hate and respect. A bittersweet love and hate relationship of two communities, both so fragile and yet so pivotal to the region.
Maronite odyssey started after the 5th century when Christian monks followers of a hermit named Maroun, arrived from the Orontes valley in Northern Syria and began preaching their religion to the inhabitants of the northernmost parts of the mountain range. In the late 8th century a group known as the Maradites (also Jarajima) settled in North Lebanon following the order of the Byzantine Emperor, their mission was to raid Islamic territories in Syria. They merged with the local population refusing to leave after the emperor struck a deal with the Muslim Caliph of Damascus, thus they became part of the Maronite society. And in 1291 AD after the fall of Acre, the last crusader outpost in the Levant, the remnants of the European settlers who succeeded in escaping capture by the Mamelukes settled in the Northern part of Lebanon, becoming part of the Maronite society. (Note that the private militia of Maronite Franjieh family in North Lebanon is called the Marada after the Maradites)
On the Druze side, In the 9th century, tribes from the "Jabal el Summaq" area north of Aleppo, in Syria began settling the southern half of the mountain range. These tribes were known as the Tanoukhiyoun and in the 11th century they converted to the Druze faith and ruled the areas of Mount Lebanon stretching from Metn in the north to Jezzine in the south, this entire area became known as the ‘Jabal ad-Duruz’. In the early 17th century, Emir Fakhreddine the 2nd ascended the throne in the Druze part of the mountains known as the Chouf. In an effort to unify Mount Lebanon, Emir Fakhreddine opened the door to Christian and in particular Maronite settlement of the Chouf and Metn.
In the 18th century scores of Maronites gradually settled in the Druze regions of the Mount. The Druze came to see these new Maronite arrivals as a threat in the region. Various clashes occured in the 1840s. Finally in 1860s an ugly and very bloody civil war erupted in the area and resulted in the massacre of thousands of Christians from Mount Lebanon to the Bekaa valley towns (Zahleh) as well as Damascus.
The Druze won ugly on the battlefields but the net political result was somehow different as the Europe (mainly France and Britain) intervened and forced the weakened Ottoman Empire to divide Mount Lebanon into two areas; Druze and Maronite. In 1861 the "Mount Lebanon" autonomous district was established within the Ottoman system, under an international guarantee. The new governor was a non Lebanese christian Ottoman subject called the Mutasarrif ruling over this Mutasarrifiya (district).
In the following years a bloody inter Druze power struggle forced some Druze to leave Mount Lebanon and migrate to Jabal al-Druze in southern Syria. The extreme military hostilities between the Druze and the Maronites resumed during the Lebanese civil war, again the Druze gaining the upper hand in their regions most of the times. Both now have faded to a somehow secondary roles due to the emergence of the mainstream Islam (Shi'a and Sunni majorities).
The Druze and the Maronites, are too few and scattered to have viable independant states on their own. They live with caution and try to influence the best they can their environement and survive. Kamal Jumblatt, the father of Lebanon’s current Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, once explained his people this way: “Ever alert, [Druze] gauge their surroundings and choose their words carefully, assessing what must be said and what can be said.”
They’re loyal to whoever is in charge of the country they live in. Syria’s Druze side with Bashar Assad and the Baath Party. Lebanon’s Druze forge alliances with the majority coalition of local political parties, or with whoever is ruling Lebanon from the outside. Israeli Druze support and defend the Zionist project. The Druze on the Golan are no different from Israeli or Lebanese Druze in this way, but their political geography is different. Though they’re governed by Israel now, they may be governed again by Syria later. So even though Israel offers them citizenship, most haven’t taken it. They’re afraid of the consequences if Syrian rule ever returns.(1)
Maronites: Resilience and survival in a sea of Islam
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The Maronite Cross is also referred to as an Antiochene Cross. Antioch (Antakya, Անտիոք), an ancient city in present day Turkey, was converted to Christianity through the ministry of the apostle Paul and fellow missionary Barnabas. Saint Peter himself was the first bishop and the church extended its territory and became one of the original patriarchates. In 518 yet another dogmatic squabbling split the church into two groups: the Chalcedonians and the monophysist anti-Chalcedonians. A century later, the Chalcedonians divided into the Syriacs, the Maronites and the Melkites. By the seventh century, the Assyrians and had also their own Patriarch, and by the twelfth century the Latin Patriarch was established. (Photo credit:Seiyaku)
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Maronites is a term given to the early followers of Maron, a priest and a hermit. He followed the path walked by Peter and Paul, and spent his life teaching about the faith. After converting an old pagan temple into a church, he ministered to many people from there with the gift of healing and counsel By emigration Maronites spread to Cyprus, Palestine. Egypt etc and now number about one million. Their liturgy (said mainly in liturgical Syriac) is of the Antioch type, with innovations taken from the Latin rite. Maronites are full in communion with the Vatican and their their patriarch lives in Lebanon (Bkerké). As in other Eastern rites, the parish priests are usually married. The Maronites have been a distinct community since the 7th cent., when they separated in a doctrinal dispute. they returned to communion with the pope in the 12th cent. In the 19th cent., the massacres of Maronites by the Druze brought French intervention; this gave France its modern hold in Lebanon and Syria during the post WWI era in an ill fated colonial mandate that lasted into the WWII when France as a nation fell apart and lost her grip on her colonies.
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In the fourth century, a monk called Maron left Antioch for the Orontes River to lead an ascetic way of life. When he died (410 AD) his followers built a monastery in his honor and this became the foundation of the Maronite Church. Staunchly Chalcedonian, the Maronite monks were persecuted by the Monophysites and after 350 of their monks were slaughtered, the survivors exiled themselves to the mountains of Lebanon. (photo credit: Seiyaku)
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In the year 687, the Maronites arrived into Mount Lebanon where they elected John Maron as their first patriarch. This established Lebanon as their third geographical center, as well as the full formation of the Maronite Church. Maronites are Catholics, whose Mother Church is in Lebanon. Spread across the world are the daughter communities. Often the sons and daughters of Maron are referred to as Beit Maroun, (the house of Maron).
The Maronite Church integrates three fundamental traditions. Antioch, the center which influenced the Maronite Churches biblical theology and use of the literal sense of scripture. Edessa, where St Ephrem lived, influenced the prayer and hymns of the Maronites. Lastly, Mount Lebanon, provided the base where the Maronite monastic life, worship and traditions begin.
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| St Hardini Monastery. Like any self respecting catholic church, the Maronites have many saints including St Charbel, St Hardini and St Rafca. |
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| Lebanese Maronite president elect Bashir Gemayel (1947-1982), portrayed as the shadow of Jesus, protector of the Christian faith and as the leader of the Lebanese Forces. He led a fight against a coalition of leftists, Druze, Muslim and the Palestinians during the Lebanese civil war. Bashir was assassinated immediately after his election as President, during the ill fated Israeli invasion of 1982. He was indeed a very direct and inspirational leader although very divisive along the sectarian lines. The cross at the right is the Lebanese christian Forces logo, while the word in Arabic translates as "We shall survive". (photo credit: falangist.com) |
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| A Maronite clergyman blessing a Tank and the soldiers during the Lebanese Civil War. The Maronite led Christian militia were fighting a coalition of Leftist, Muslim and Palestinians groups. |
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| Christian militia praying on the battlefront somewhere in Beirut, a city long divided along sectarian lines during the Civil War. Lebanese political tensions today are more along the competing Sunnite - Shi'a lines rather than rightist Christian and their foes. |
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| Christian right wing Lebanese Forces were the brainchild of Bashir Gemayel, the younger son of the Phalangist (Kata'eb) Party founder Pierre Gemayel. He somehow forcibly formed a military coalition of the right wing christian militias fighting the left and the Palestinians until his election as President of the Republic and assassination in 1982. |
Druze: Small in numbers, great in influence and history
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| Emir Fakhreddine Maan, the maverick Druze Prince of Mount Lebanon 1590-1635 |
The first Druze settled in what is now southern Lebanon and northern Israel. By the time of the Ottoman conquest of Syria (1516), Druze also lived in the hill country near Aleppo, and Sultan Selim I recognized Fakhr al-Din as Emir of the Druze, with local authority. Civil strife between the Lebanese Druze and the Maronite Christians ended in 1860 with the autonomous administration of Mt. Lebanon, which was imposed by the great powers. The Druze never regained ascendancy in the region and the center of the community passed to Mt. Hauran in Syria, which became known as Jabal-el-Druze (Mountain of the Druze) - the name formerly synonymous with Mt. Lebanon.
Until the end of Ottoman rule (1918), the Druze were governed by emirs, as a semi-autonomous community. In 1921 the French tried to set up a Druze state under the French Mandate, but the attempt failed. (re: Jewish virtual library)
Druze Beliefs and Traditions
Although the Druze recognize all three monotheistic religions, they believe that rituals and ceremonies have caused Jews, Christians, and Muslims to turn aside from "pure faith". They argue that individuals who believe that God will forgive them if they fast and pray, will commit transgressions in the expectation of being forgiven - and then repeat their sins. The Druze thus eliminated all elements of ritual and ceremony; there is no fixed daily liturgy, no defined holy days, and no pilgrimage obligations. The Druze perform their spiritual reckoning with God at all times, and consequently need no special days of fasting or atonement.
The Druze religion is secret and closed to converts. From the theological perspective, the secrecy derives from the tenet that the gates of the religion were open to new believers for the space of a generation when it was first revealed and everyone was invited to join. Since in their belief everyone alive today is the reincarnation of someone who lived at that time, there is no reason to allow them to join today. Therefore, the Druze refrain from any missionary activities, and no member of another religion can become Druze.
Druze religious books are accessible only to the initiates, the uqqal ("knowers"). The juhhal ("ignorant ones") accept the faith on the basis of the tradition handed down from generation to generation (re: The Jewish virtual Library).
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| Druze heartland:BEITEDDINE PALACE, Built on a rocky spur dominating a deep valley, this splendid example of Lebanese architecture was conceived and built by the Emir Bechir Chehab II who ruled Lebanon from 1788 to 1840. There are many galleries, balconies and high-ceiling reception rooms with marble mosaic floors, carved ceilings, colored glass windows and wall fountains. Today the palace, which is 42 kilometers from Beirut, houses an ethnographic museum of feudal weapons, costumes and jewelry, as well as an impressive display of Byzantine mosaics. (Photo credit:Lebanon the Legend) |
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| Emir Bachir, a major Druze leader |
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| Beiteddine Palace in Chouf, Lebanon: (Photo: Petteri Sulonen) |
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| Druze leader maverick Walid Jumblatt (born in 1949) in his Moukhtara (Chouf District) palace in front of his late father Kamal's (1917-1977) portrait. Kamal was a great personality, both as a political and as a inspirational figure for the Lebanese Left coalition and the Druze community. He was a key figure on the National stage, opposed to the Government and the Christian forces during the Lebanese Civil War and was assassinated presumably by the Syrian intelligence forces during the Civil war in Lebanon over policy disagreements with Damascus (photo: theatlantic.com) |
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| Walid Jumblatt is the major political Druze figure in Lebanon but not the only one in importance. Other prominent Druze families include the Arslan and other chiefs of dynasties such as as the Ma'an, Shehab, Yamani, Here, Walid Jumblatt is seen paying respects during a funeral of an assassinated Druze by rival forces allied to the Hizbullah. |
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| Druze elders in Golan Heights. Druze communities live across the Syrian and Israeli de facto borders in this highly militarized area. Some Druze left Mount Lebanon and emigrated to Syria (Jabal Druze) after the battle of Ain Dara where one faction defeated another and caused an exile. |
The Druze village of Majdal Shams (Tower of the Sun) on the Golan Heights. The area on either side of the heavily militarized Israel - Syria de facto borders is home to many Druze villages and communities separated by the warring armies (Photo: Michael Totten)
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| Druze community leader in Lebanon Sheikh Nayim Hassan receiving His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia. Both Druze and Armenians are important minorities in Lebanon where the balance between the communities is so intricate and fragile.
Krikor Tersakian 2010, Canada
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