By Mohammed Rahman Ahmed
The Druze are a religious and ethnic group in Syria, with the majority located in the city of Sweida, bordering Jordan, and a significant portion in Quneitra city, bordering Israel, with a very small minority in Aleppo. Importantly, most of them are located in southwestern Syria, bordering Jordan and Israel.
The Druze are originally Kurds, and their beliefs trace back to the Kurdish Yarsan religion. The word “Druze” originated in Kurdish language means correct (Drust). In the sense that their religious belief is correct and just. They are the same as the Ahl-e Haq Yarsani and Kakeyis.
There is substantial evidence of the Druze’s Kurdish origins, most notably the scientific research by two Israeli sociologists and historians from Haifa University, Professor (Ayz Almuj) and Dr. (Haik), who conducted DNA fingerprint research on the Druze’s fundamental origins. They concluded that their roots trace back to the inhabitants of the Zagros and Ararat mountain ranges, which are the cradle of the Kurds.
Although many Arabs claim that the Druze are originally Arabs, this claim stems from a nationalist sentiment and has no scientific basis. On the contrary, scientific evidence emphasizes the Kurdishness of the Druze.
Arabs attempt to draw parallels between the Druze’s religious beliefs and Islam. However, the Druze’s religious beliefs are quite different, with most Islamic groups rejecting the Druze’s beliefs and considering them infidels. Therefore, the Druze are likely to face threats from Syria’s extremist armed groups, as they did in 2018 when over 200 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a series of ISIS terrorist attacks.
Research emphasizes the similarities between Druze beliefs and ancient Kurdish religions such as Yazidi, Zoroastrian, Yarsan, and Kakei. Even the religious attire and facial features, beards, and mustaches of Druze religious men are the same as those of Yazidi and Yarsan religious men.
Moreover, researchers and scholars discuss the natural similarities between Druze and Kurds. Like Kurds, Druze are fond of mountainous regions. All areas where Druze reside in Syria and Lebanon are mountainous, which is another evidence of their Kurdish origins, whereas Arabs are typically plains people. Most importantly and most evidentially, their appearance is entirely Kurdish, nothing like Arabs. Generally, most researchers say these Druze migrated during the time of Saladin the Ayubid and spread throughout the Levant, or migrated due to religious conflicts to these mountainous areas.
What’s important here is how much we Kurds have tried to establish a blood and national kinship with the Druze. Unfortunately, no such effort is seen, neither from the government, nor from universities and researchers, or through the Yarsanis and Kakeyis.
The Druze have a very important geopolitical position. The cities of Sweida and Quneitra create a barrier between Syria’s extreme Islamic groups and Jordan and Israel. This means they have a direct relationship with the national security of these two countries.
Syria is a collapsed state after the war, a arena of multiple internal and external forces all fighting for their position in New Syria, passing through an unstable and conflict-ridden situation, unlikely to stabilize easily. Reconstructing Syria may take a long time after several wars and struggles.
The US and French believe that in restructuring New Syria, the local autonomy rights of all components should be considered. Therefore, working on connecting the Druze and Kurdish areas in the Tanf region will be very valuable and strategic, in terms of political, economic (opening new corridor of energy to Mediterranean ) and regional security, both for the Kurds and Druze and some regional countries, also for disrupting the routes of extremist groups and stabilising the region’s countries, especially neighbouring Syria’s country. Working on the basis of this shared interest is crucial for Kurds.