Israel's Arab soldiers, jokingly called "apostates", the Israeli knife that Hamas fears
In Israel, there is a group of military personnel who have aroused deep fear among the Palestinian Hamas organization. This special and formidable force came from the Arab military of Israel, who were officially called the "Druze" and nicknamed the "apostates".
I. The Religious Origins of the Druze SoldiersDruze soldiers occupy a unique and powerful position in Israel's military structure. They are closely united internally, and if someone provokes them, they will not hesitate to use "terror" to fight back.
Hamas's fear of the Druze is rooted in history.
The Druze were not a people per se, or their origins were not based on the concept of nation, but on religion. In the Middle East, there are three major religious denominations, namely Judaism, **Religion, and Islam, all of which originate from the same ancestor, ancient Judaism!
In ancient Judaism, God had a covenant with Abraham, the ancestor of the Jews, that he and his people would be God's chosen people. In the Abrahamic lineage, Judaism was born, and the first leader was Moses. Subsequently, Judaism emerged from two major branches, Islam and Christianity.
In Israel, there is a military force that the Palestinian Hamas organization is deeply afraid of, and this special and powerful force is the Israeli Arab soldiers, who are officially called "Druze" and nicknamed "apostates".
1. The Religious Origins of the Druze Druze soldiers play a unique and powerful role in Israel's military structure. They are united internally, and they will not hesitate to respond to those who provoke them with "terror".
Hamas's fear of the Druze has its roots in history.
The Druze were not actually a people, or their origins were not based on the concept of nation, but on religion. In the Middle East, the three main religious denominations are Judaism, **Christianity, and Islam, all of which are derived from the same ancestor, ancient Judaism!
According to ancient Judaism, God had a covenant with Abraham, the ancestor of the Jews, that he and his people would become God's chosen people. In the Abrahamic lineage, Judaism was born, and the first leader was Moses. Subsequently, Judaism was divided into two major branches, Islam and Christianity.
The Druze belong to the Islamic family, and Islam itself is divided into two main branches, Sunni and Shia, and the Druze belong to the Shiite sect. Shiism has several branches, among which the Druze belong to one of the branches of the Ismaili sect - the Druze sect.
The ideology of this sect is significantly different from most branches of Islam, and the radical nature of Islam itself has led to the Druze cult being targeted. Therefore, the adherents of Druze felt deep down that there was a difference with the Arabs.
2. The Druze, who were attacked as a "heresy" of Islam, chose to leave Egypt and move to the areas of Palestine that were then occupied by the Arabs. The Arabs considered these Druze to be devout Muslims and therefore did not bother them, allowing them to multiply here for generations.
As mentioned earlier, Druzeism, although it belongs to Islam, is fundamentally different in terms of religious behavior and thought. In terms of behavior, the Druze followed less one-size-fits-all rules than traditional Islam. They do not perform zakat, do not fast, do not practice circumcision, do not have pilgrimage rites, and do not have mosques.
Secondly, there are differences in thinking. Traditional Islam believes in Allah Allah and sees Muhammad as a prophet sent by Allah to the earth. The Druze sect considers al-Hakim, the sixth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty in the 11th century, to be Allah's messenger. Hakim in the night.
The Druze behave in a very different way from the traditional Muslims, who did not worship the traditional Muhammad with fervor and chose to worship the tyrants of history, calling them "living lords." In behavior and religious thought, Druze is fundamentally different from Islam.
As history progressed, the distribution of the Druze people also changed. After the end of World War II, the situation in the Middle East became clearer, countries became independent one after another, and the distribution of the Druze people became more clear from a vague geographical area.
After World War II, the Druze people lived mainly in the three countries of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Due to the different national conditions of the three countries, the attitude towards the Druze people is different, so that the Druze people show different faces in different places.
In Israel, the Druze lived a life of adjacency with the Jews as part of the Arab family. However, unlike Arabs in general, the Druze do not see themselves as Arabs, but rather as a special and separate group.
Since the outbreak of the First Middle East War on May 15, 1948, the Druze have had a negative attitude towards the Israeli army and have even acquiesced in the presence of Israeli Jews. This attitude has aroused dissatisfaction among the Arab countries, and together with religious differences, the contradictions have intensified. In the face of an external attack, the Druze chose to support Israel, which made them part of the Israel.
Today, Israel's Druze population has reached 100,000, making it Israel's fourth-largest minority. Although relatively small in number, the Druze are Israel's most trusted military men in terms of military qualities.
In Israel, in addition to the Druze, there are Arabs of other races. While other Arabs were exempt from military service for the safety of Jewish soldiers, there was no such rule for the Druze, who still followed a policy of "all soldiers".
The Druze have been actively involved in many wars in the Middle East, as well as in the classic war of invasion of Lebanon, and have distinguished themselves on the battlefield and become a proud presence of the Israeli military. However, in the eyes of Arab Muslims, watching fellow Muslims shoot at their own people is filled with a deep hatred for the Druze, so most Arab countries refer to the Druze as "apostates".
In Israel, the treatment of the Druze began to feel the seven-year itch after a honeymoon period. During the Middle East war, Israel curryed favor with the Druze, recognizing their independent religious status, allowing 18-year-old Druze to serve in the military, and allowing those who were able to participate in Israeli politics. Although Israel's Declaration of Independence claims that all citizens will enjoy complete and equal social and political treatment, regardless of religious beliefs, there are some doubts about whether this is actually the case.
At first it was like this, but now things have changed. Many Druze people began to complain that despite how much we had done for them in a Jewish state, even risking our lives on the battlefield, we were being treated like Arabs. These grievances stem mainly from Druze women.
According to the requirements of the Israeli state, Druze men are required to serve in the military, while women can choose whether or not to join the army.
However, when their husbands join the military, if they also choose to serve, how will the responsibilities behind the family be assumed?As a result, life for Druze women in Israel is not easy. In terms of economics and education, they are very different from Druze men.
The Druze are a great people with a deep historical heritage, a united national identity, and a courageous fighting style. They are called the "apostates" of Islam and are regarded as sinners in the eyes of Arab countries. But what's the matter?In the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Druze servicemen were already in combat condition. What will be the end result for everyone in front of the screen?