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The Druze and Syria's new govt

The Druze and Syria's new govt

Time of India4 days ago
The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria.
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Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights. In Syria, they largely live in southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. The transitional govt has promised to include minorities, including the Druze, but the new 23-member govt in Syria announced in late March only has one Druze member, minister of agriculture Amjad Badr. Reports of attacks on Druze civilians by govt-affiliated forces since the latest round of fighting broke out have further alienated many Druze from the new authorities. Following calls in Israel to help Druze in Syria, scores of Israeli Druze broke through the border fence on Wednesday, linking up with Druze on the Syrian side, a Reuters witness said. Israeli PM Netanyahu said the Israeli military was working to save the Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border.
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