For some reason, the international media is entirely uninterested in reporting about how some Israeli Muslims — Arabs and Druze — have rallied to help defend their country against Hamas. Bassam Tawil has more on this subject here: “‘Like…wtf’: Israel’s Arab Citizens Feel Lucky,” by Bassam Tawil, Gatestone Institute, January 25, 2024: IDF Sergeant First Class […]
What Has Prompted the Druze Anti-Regime Protests In Syria
The latest anti-regime protests in Syria have been prompted by the disastrous economic situation. The immediate cause was the regime’s decision to end subsidies on gasoline, and to partially lift the price controls on fuel oil. Those decisions were the last straw for many Syrians, 90% of whom are impoverished. “Druze protests expose the Assad […]
In Syria, New Protests Against the Regime
The Syrian civil war that began with protests against the Assad regime in 2011, by 2022 appeared to have been largely won by the government, after six million Syrians had fled abroad, five million remain internally displaced, and a half-million civilians have been killed. But now there is another flareup of discontent with the government, […]
Druze on the Golan Increasingly Opt for Israeli Citizenship
The Druze living on the Golan Heights, an area captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981, are increasingly choosing to become Israeli citizens. About 5,000 of the 25,000 Druze on the Golan have now chosen to become Israelis. A report on this welcome development is here: “As ties to Syria fade, Golan Druze increasingly […]
Al Qaeda to Druze: Convert to Islam or die
“There is no compulsion in religion,” says the Qur’an (2:256), but compulsion is understood a bit more elastically in this context than it is in the West. The al Qaeda threat here stems from another verse of the Qur’an: “And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and […]