Baha'i, Bedouins, and the Druze

In Israel

Baha'i Religion:

-Many religious historians believe that the Baha'i religion arose from Islam and that originally all the Baha'is were Muslims.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/bahai1.htm

-Baha'i is the fourth major faith in Israel. Israel is the Holy Land for Jews, Christians and Muslims. But less what is not known by many is that the land also is esteemed by the estimated 5 million Baha'is who live throughout the world. http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/israel/haifa/shrine_of_the_bab/19980403-shrine_of_the_bab.htm

- The Baha'i Faith believers number about five million people and belong to more than two thousand different ethnic groups. They live in 230 countries, are associated in 18,000 local spiritual assemblies and 172 national spiritual assemblies. http://bahai-library.com/newspapers/000095.html

- In the 21st century, Haifa and Mount Carmel became the international headquarters of the Baha'i faith and the home to the Baha'i Shrine and Gardens.

-The Baha'i faith began during the mid 19^th century while there was persecution going on in Persia.

-The religious movement that grew up around the Bab was called the Babi faith. It attracted both followers and powerful detractors in Persia, which then, as now, was dominated by the Shi'ite branch of Islam. In three ways the Bab ran against the traditional 19th century Muslim thinking. The Bab contradicted Muslim belief that Muhammad was God's final messenger by declaring that a new messenger of God was coming. Also, the status of women in traditional Islamic societies was sharply proscribed, yet the Bab preached their equality. He also welcomed the inquiries of science into the origins of the world, rejecting traditionalist religious beliefs that various scientific theories were blasphemous.

http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/israel/haifa/shrine_of_the_bab/19980403-shrine_of_the_bab.htm

-"Baha'is believe in the unity of all religions and believed that messengers of God like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad have been sent at different times in history with doctrines varying to fit changing social needs, but bringing substantially the same message".

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/haifa-bahai-shrine-and-gardens.htm

-Baha'i Shrine and Gardens in Haifa features the tomb of the founder of the Baha'i faith, which has become its central shrine.

-The Shrine of Baha’u’llah is located outside the city of Acre, near Haifa in northern Israel. It is the resting place of the founder of the Baha’i Faith, considered by Baha’is to be a Messenger of God. His burial place is the focal point of prayer for Baha’is all over the world.

-Pilgrims come to Haifa from all parts of the world to pay homage to the first leaders of their religion, which emphasizes unity across cultures and religions. These pilgrimages, which bring together Baha'is from all over the world, serve further to give social cohesion and integration to the Faith.

http://www.bahaiwcn.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=89

-William Hatcher and J. Douglas Martin in their book, The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion, explain, "The period between 1921 and 1963 in Baha'i history is most readily accessible through consideration of the major projects undertaken by Shoghi Effendi in the execution of his role as Guardian. Effendi devoted a great deal of time to the physical development of the faith's international headquarters in the area surrounding the Bay of Haifa". http://www.watchman.org/reltop/bahai.htm

-Baha'u'llah encouraged each of his followers to try, at least once during a lifetime, to undertake a nine-day pilgrimage to the World Center of the Baha'i Faith in Haifa.

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Bedouin in Israel (in the north):

- Israel's Bedouin citizens are a minority within the Arab minority.

- The Bedouin in Galilee and the Jezreel valley, numbering about 50,000 originate from the Syrian Desert.

- At the beginning of the century their nomadic way of life and militancy put them in a position to harass villages and demand tribute, giving them a sense of superiority over the farmer

- Then during the British Mandate the Galilee Bedouin were encouraged to purchase small plots of land and such purchases were recorded in the Land Registry as legal possession.

-By the end of the British Mandate and the struggle of the establishment of Israel, many Bedouins joined the Jewish forces.

-The Bedouins felt as part of their "blood pack" with the state of Israel it was their duty to serve and volunteer in the security services and serving on the front lines.

-The northern Bedouins seem to identify with the state almost fully. And as a result of this the northern Bedouins are rewarded with a friendly attitude, both from the establishment and from Jewish society at large.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/7/The+Bedouin+in+Israel.htm

-Although the traditions are going strong and the culture is still evident the Bedouins in the Northern region are no longer leading the wondering shepherd's life of the old days. Their traditions though are still present and their culture can be experienced at the Bedouin hospitality tents that are in the North.

http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Eng/Articles/Attractions/Bedouin+Hospitality+in+the+North.htm

- The Bedouins in one Northern village not only volunteer for the IDF but there is also a village in the North where all the Bedouins finished high school.

-Some would say that they aren't even Bedouins anymore, because many don’t roam around in tents, they now have houses and have built villages.

-The Bedouins in the North benefit significantly because of their relationship with Israel.

-Most of the Bedouins in the North have become modern.

http://books.google.com/books?id=8Y_3VbE7seYC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=northern+bedouins+in+israel&source=web&ots=uKvfvrOVLh&sig=i0--5gEy3M_lT6jIaeac95Rzus4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result

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The Druze in Israel:

-The Druze religion has its roots in Ismailism, a religio-philosophical movement which founded the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt in the tenth century. During the reign of al-Hakim (996 - 1021) the Druze creed came into being, blending Islamic monotheism with Greek philosophy and Hindu influences. Active proselytizing of the new creed was brief; since about 1050 the community has been closed to outsiders.

-The Druze religion and community were born in eleventh century Egypt where a local ruler founded the new sect which was considered an offshoot of Islam. One of its first prophets was al-Darazi and from him came the name "Druze".

-The first Druze settled in what is now southern Lebanon and northern Israel

-The Druze community in Israel is officially recognized as a separate religious entity with its own courts (with jurisdiction in matters of personal status - marriage, divorce, maintenance and adoption) and spiritual leadership.

-Their culture is Arab and their language Arabic. The Druze opted against mainstream Arab nationalism in 1948 and since served (first as volunteers, later within the draft system) in both the Israel Defense Forces and the Border Police.

-The Druze consider their faith to be a new interpretations of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

-Although the Druze recognize all three monotheistic religions, they believe that rituals and ceremonies have caused Jews, Christians, and Muslims to go away 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 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 as a result need no special days of fasting or atonement.

-The Druze religion has no ceremonies or rituals, and no obligation to perform precepts in public. The main tenets that obligate all Druze, both uqqal and juhal, are: Speaking the truth (instead of prayer), Supporting your brethren (instead of charity), Abandoning the old creeds (instead of fasting), Purification from heresy (instead of pilgrimage), Accepting the unity of God, Submitting to the will of God (instead of holy war).

-The Druze religion is secret and closed to converts. The Druze believe that everyone alive today is the reincarnation of someone who lived at that time and there is no reason for people today to join in their religion. Because of this the Druze believe no one from another religion can become Druze.

-Since there is no ceremony or ritual within the Druze religion there is also no specific place either. Although gradually the Druze had gatherings to discuss community affairs and these took place at significant sites, which then turned into sort of religious holidays.

- Most of the regional assembly places are located in or near Druze villages in upper and western Galilee, in the Golan and on Mount Carmel.

-Worldwide there are probably about one million Druze living mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with 104,000 in Israel, including about 18,000 in the Golan (which came under Israeli rule in 1967) and also several thousands who emigrated to Europe and North and South America.

-Most of the Druze towns and villages in Israel are populated exclusively by Druze, even though over the last century a minority of Christians and Muslims have become residents in some of the villages. The Druze villages are located in the north of the country, mainly on hilltops; which historically is a defense against attack and persecution.

-The main locations of the Druze villages are in: on Mount Carmel Daliyat el-Carmel, and also Isfiya (which is the largest Druze town in Israel), Northeast of Haifa is the village of Shfar'am, the village of Rama which is further north and also near by the small village of Sajur, Located north of Rama, on the peak of Mt. Meron, is the all-Druze village of Beit Jan and the list continues…also, there are many Druze villages located in the Golan.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/druze.html

http://www.jcpa.org/jl/hit06.htm

http://www.jcpa.org/jl/hit06.htm