The Druse are in the news because they are one of the minority groups being persecuted by the Islamic extremists currently fighting the Assad regime in Syria. There are reports that Druse villagers in north-west Syria were massacred by fighters of the Al Nusrah Front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda. The Druse are a religious sect regarded as heretical by Muslims. Their religion is based on Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, and is essentially a secret religion. They originated in the 11th century in Egypt and were persecuted, but managed to escape to the mountains of Lebanon that are named Jebel Druse.
Like most groups in the Middle East they live in regions divided by international boundaries drawn by colonial powers, in this case by France. Some Druse live in Lebanon (215,000), the majority (700,000) are in Syria and some (140,000) in Israel, altogether ca. 1.5 million. Their philosophy is such that they are very militaristic and also very loyal to the country they reside in. Thus, the Israeli Druse are very pro-Israel and they fight bravely in the IDF, but the Syrian Druse are very loyal to Syria and in fact to Pres. Assad, who is also from a heretical Islamic sect, the Alawites, and he has protected them from the Sunni Islamic fundamentalists. The Druse of Lebanon have played a role under their leader Walid Jumblatt in fighting in the Lebanese civil war, and basically have protected their own region within Lebanon. It is reported that the Lebanese Druse are now engaged in fighting the Al Nusrah Front on the Lebanese border.
The area of the Golan Heights captured from Syria by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War and then annexed by Israel is largely inhabited by Druse. Even though the Israeli Druse are pro-Israel, the Golan Druse have remained loyal to Assad in Syria, and there has been conflict between the two closely related groups. But, it is understandable since Assad deals very harshly with anyone who is not loyal to him and they do not know if the Golan might eventually be returned to Syria.
But, in view of the current war against the Assad regime, in which Islamic extremists are playing a major role, the Druse are caught in the middle. There has been a proposal that Israel should save the Druse who are being attacked by the Islamist forces near the border region, that they be allowed to enter Israel. But, this is not as simple as it seems, since the Syrian Druse are very pro-Assad and are also very anti-Israel. So it might boomerang on Israel if they are given sanctuary in Israel. A lot depends on what role the Israeli Druse decide to play in this situation.
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