In the making of the modern Middle East, minorities have often been used as pretexts and pawns for external intervention. It is in this light that the recent massacre of more than 20 men from the esoteric Druze religious sect by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front must be understood.
As a result of the threat to the Syrian Druze by Nusra, their protection now is contested between a trio of sworn enemies: al-Qaida-affiliated rebel fighters, the Syrian regime, and Israel.
So who are the Druze—and how should we understand their dangerous situation?
Who Are the Druze?
Dispersed across the Levant, the Druze have historical roots in the 11th century Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. The sect has an estimated 1 million members worldwide; the majority live in Syria and Lebanon, with smaller communities in Israel and Jordan.
A distinctive array of social practices, such as marrying within the sect and belief in an exclusive form of reincarnation, have all helped create a popular image of a homogenous, tightly bound transnational community—although in reality, they are rather more politically and socioeconomically diverse than this image would have it.
