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on March 07, 2015

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Jaramana: Despite pressures, Druze remain in regime camp by SYRIA:direct

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The August events in Suwaidaʾ and their implications

After a period of relative calm in the overwhelming Druze province of Suwaida ʾ the situation dramatically changed in the middle of last August. The villages of Dama (and Dair Dama) were attacked by a group of local Bedouin. Größere Kartenansicht Al Monitor reported that the attack came after local NDF members had responded with targeting Bedouin gatherings to the beheading of a Druze man . The Bedouin were allegedly joined by rebel elements, according to some reports from al-Qa ʿ ida affiliated Jabhat an-Nusra. The number of the casualties on the Druze side differs from 12 to 24 and reportedly includes a high number of religious sheikhs (according to opposition outlet Zaman alWasl even seven). Harming religious people ( ʿuqqal ) is generally a red line for the Druze. This was illustrated in April 2014, when the arrest of a sheikh led to rare public protests in Suwaida ʾ and temporary a precarious situation for the regime. However, as Aymenn al-Tamimi has pointed out

Druze reincarnation & the Druze as a political entity

Social Anthropologist Gebhard Fartacek (check out his work on shrines in Southern Syria) from the Austrian Academy of Sciences edited a reader about Druze reincarnation narratives. The book was just published this week and the e-book is also available as open access via Peter Lang Publishing. If you are interested in Druze religion you will find interesting contributions by Fartacek, Lorenz Nigst (University of Vienna), Eléonore Armanet ( Aix-Marseille University) , Nour Farra Haddad ( Saint Joseph University) and Salma Samaha (Lebanese University). I was asked to provide an overview of the current political situation of the Druze communities, which I did basically by summarizing all my existing research after a decade long preoccupation with different dimensions of Druze politics. One might notice that even though my chapter has "contemporary situation" in the title, some recent crucial events are not mentioned like the devastating attack on Druze villages by ISIS in J

Roundup: The Arab members of the 24th Knesset

Israel voted (again) on March 23 so lets have a look at the Arab members of the new Knesset and possible successors: Likud (30 seats) Druze Fatin Mulla from Yarka (28th slot) is currently deputy minister in the caretaker government and reenters the Knesset. Nael Zoabi , a former principal, was presented as the party's first ever Arab and Muslim candidate (39th slot). He and former Druze minister Ayub Qara (42nd slot) have only theoretical chances to become a MK's in the years to come due to resignations. Blue and White (8 seats) Mufid Marid (9th slot), a Druze military officer from Hurfaish on the Lebanese border has good chances to enter the Knesset in case his party makes it to government. The female Druze candidate of the last elections, outgoing MK Ghadir Mrih, switched over to Yesh Atid after the coalition of Benny Gantz with Likud and recently announced a break from politics. Labor (7 seats) Controversial filmmaker ( "Lady Kul El-Arab" ) Ibtisam Mara'ana

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(C) Tobias Lang

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