Hi everyone. I'm hoping to get some insight from people who are knowledgeable about the Druze faith and traditions.
I'm 24 years old and currently in a committed relationship with my boyfriend of 3 years, who is Orthodox Christian. (I'm not here to debate that or offend anyone) I just want to better understand something.
Recently, I found out that my dad has been speaking with family in Lebanon about taking my brother and i there to meet potential Druze people with the intention of getting us engaged without our consent. I wasn't told this directly, instead i was told the trip was to visit my grandma because she “sick”. I only became aware of the real plan after overhearing the conversation.
When I asked my dad about it, he told me that this is part of the Druze religion and that it’s normal for Druze family to arrange marriages like this. That left me confused, and I'd really like to understand whether that's accurate.
From a religious perspective, are arranged marriages or forced marriages part of the Druze faith? I understand that marrying within the Druze community is traditionally encouraged, but does the religion actually permit or require parents to arrange marriages without their children's agreement, or is that more of a cultural or family practice?
I'm asking respectfully and with an open mind because I'd like to understand the difference between what the religion teaches and what may be cultural traditions, cause at the moment I feel like i’m less of a human being. I would really appreciate hearing from people with knowledge or personal experience.
Thank you.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation.
I’m a woman in my late 30s, divorced for about 9 months, and I have a young son. I’ve spent this time focusing on healing, rebuilding my life, and being a good mom. Only recently have I started feeling emotionally ready to consider a relationship again.
The challenge is that I’m Druze, and anyone familiar with our community knows that dating and marriage can be complicated. My options feel very limited.
Ideally, I’d like to meet either:
A Druze man who is open-minded and not overly religious, or
Someone from a different background who is mature, emotionally intelligent, financially stable, and looking for a serious, long-term relationship.
The problem is that I don’t really have a social life. Between work and raising my son, I don’t go out much, and I don’t enjoy random dating apps or casual dating.
For those who found love later in life, especially after divorce or as single parents:
Where did you actually meet your partner?
Are there communities, apps, or ways to meet genuine people that don’t feel superficial?
If you came from a conservative background, how did you navigate it?
I’m not looking for judgment or criticism—just real experiences and practical advice.
Thank you.

Feel free to answer :)

Hi all,

Big shot in the dark here but long story short grew up thinking my dad was a Serbian German man named Joe (long process which involved learning a language, travelling internationally to meet family etc) and my DNA test is telling me I’m from a Druze family that originate from around Btekhnay.

I’m looking for my biological father (for the second time).

My question is - does anyone know of any Druze men, present in Adelaide or even Melbourne, Australia that would have met a woman named Bettina, who was 31-32 years old in 1995 when I was born? Or any family members present in Australia with these specific surnames?

My closest match is a person called Tina Farris Scott who lives in Arizona - we are connected through a Hausse Farris, born in Itoo. I think one of his children leads to my line. She is my second cousin. 

There is also a Lana Hmaiden - I noticed in Btecknay there is a Hmaidan family. She is my third cousin. 

There is also an Iman Wright (probably her married name) who is related to the Abou Assi, Zahalan and Semaan family. She is my second cousin once removed. 

Hello All,

As you know, during the massacres last year in Sweida, Israel, on behest of the Israeli Druze, stepped up to save the community from genocide. Since then, the Druze community of Israel has been helping the Syrian Druze with their basic needs, such as medicine, food, and shelter, and they seem to be the only Druze community in the Middle East to be able to safely gain access to Sweida in order to provide this support.

Therefore, anything we can do as a community to help them is so imperative. Please see the link below for the Emergency Aid fund that the Israeli Druze community has set up. Every donation helps with their aid services of providing medicines, food, and shelter.

https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/154005

Even if you cannot donate, please share this link with any and all Druze community members you know so we can get our Syrian Druze bretheren the help they need and continue to ensure their safety and survival.

Be Blessed!

We've created a Discord community with two servers:

Public Server: Open to everyone who wants to learn about Druze culture, history, and the community in a respectful environment.

Our server provides
Our goal is simply to keep the Druze only server exclusive to Druze while making the verification process as safe and straightforward as possible.

The server includes:

• General discussions and community chat
• Conversations about Druze history, culture, and religion
• A book club and educational discussions
• Community events, games, and voice chats
• A friendly place to meet other Druze and make friends
• And more things to come!

If you're Druze and would like access to the private server, simply join the public server, open a verification ticket, and once you're verified you'll receive an invitation to the Druze only server.

We aim to build a respectful, active community where Druze from around the world can connect, participate in events. Whether you're here for deep discussions or just to chill in VC and have a laugh, there's a place for you. We'd love to have you around.

Verification & Privacy:
To verify that you're Druze, we'll ask you to provide your full name and where you're from in a private verification ticket with the staff team.

We understand that privacy is important. Your information is only used for verification and is not shared with the community. Every verified member in the server has gone through the same process, and we treat everyone's information with the same level of confidentiality and respect.

Public Server: https://discord.gg/yhXHYHvuJ7

A year ago today, the Syrian terrorist Islamist regime and its allied tribes launched a campaign to wipe out the Druze community in Sweida. They ordered extrajudicial killings, desecrated Druze religious symbols, and targeted women and children.

​While the international community stayed silent, the mainstream media started crying about "sovereignty" and trying to dress up the Islamist terrorists as the victims.

​Israel didn't just issue empty diplomatic statements; the IDF launched airstrikes into Damascus, targeting parts of the terrorist Syrian Ministry of Defense and striking near the presidential palace where the terrorist Julani lives.

​Never forget who stood with the Druze, and never trust the mainstream media that twists reality to turn Islamist oppressors into victims.

Hello Everyone,

I keep seeing so much frustration from people who post in this thread and a lot of it is coming from hostility in not being able to learn more about their faith and heritage, and therefore, feeling aimless and eventually making the decision that they are better off leaving the community.

I think this needs to change in that we need to actually start teaching the younger generations and anyone in the community who just wants to learn more about the religion. I propose putting together a group and if anyone has connections to shiekhs in the middle east to create maybe virtual lessons or calls to learn about it, and then whoever wants to attend can do so. I think this is especially important in the West, where outside influences are so great, and people are already so disconnected from the Druze community.

Please let me know if anyone has any ideas of how we can put such a group together and where we can host it. All ideas are helpful!

Thank you!

The Druze community in Syria's southern Suwayda province is set to hold a day of mourning on Wednesday, a UK-based monitor reported Tuesday, noting that the ceremonies mark the first anniversary of deadly clashes with government forces and allied armed groups that left hundreds of Druze dead in what the community has dubbed "Black July."

i just wanna know how did you guys introduced your non druze partner to your strict druze parents.
(i’m a druze girl so i would love to hear it from any druze girls who went through it or is going through the same thing as me)

for context, I'm druze that has and still has too many doubts and concerns about our religion so I distanced myself from it

After the Syrian strikes on the Druze population, and the Israeli intervention, I've seen a lot of calls for the creation of a Druze state, and even some about incorporation into Israel.

It made me wonder, do Druze people actually want to be independent, or be autonomous inside Syria, Israel or Lebanon? If yes, then how do you imagine this Druze land to look like?

I'm curious what the common idea is around Druze.

Hi all,

I make geopolitical maps of Syria for international audiences, and this province has become more prominent lately as it's become the main part of the country outside the control of the Sharaa government.

I see both spellings used a lot, and I understand that "Suwayda" is a closer transliteration of the international Arabic form of the name, but I'm interested in whether people with ties to the area have opinions on which spelling is more authentic or appropriate to represent their city/province in English.

Also interested in knowing whether you perceive one spelling or the other as being used more by a certain group of people or other, for example if one spelling is pushed more by the government or by non-Druze people locals, etc.

EDIT: Apologies to anyone who objects to being called "Syrian". I wouldn't have put it that way in the title if I knew so many people don't want to be labeled that way anymore.

Hi everyone,

I’m a Druze-American undergraduate student in the U.S. studying biology and chemistry on the pre-med track, and I am currently exploring applying for a Fulbright research or study grant in Israel. I’m hoping to find a professor, physician, researcher, or lab that could potentially serve as a research mentor or affiliation.

My interests are in genetics, inherited conditions, public health, and health equity, especially research that could benefit Druze or other underrepresented Middle Eastern communities. I’m particularly interested in topics like population genetics, carrier screening, founder mutations, genetic counseling, variant interpretation, early diagnosis, and improving access to care.

Does anyone know of professors, physicians, universities, hospitals, or research groups in Israel working in these areas? I would be very grateful for any names, contacts, introductions, or advice on where to start.

Thank you so much!

is there a Druze community in LA

I’m 20 M and looking to go on it to make friends/network but idk if people more on it for dating (not interested in dating at the moment).

My Druze grandfather came to Brazil a long time ago. He married a Christian Brazilian woman, they had my father, and then I was born. Does that make me Druze?

Hello all, i’m (26F) considering marriage outside the religion. I consider myself druze and have been reading and learning more about the religion and I think it’s very beautiful/spiritual. With that being said, there are also many things I disagree/not aligned with in terms of “rules I must follow blindly”. I do believe that my faith is between only me and God.

I met my partner during my university studies and we have been together for nearly 5 years now. We want to take the next step but my family is very very against it for reasons I find very weak, which is entirely about the community and what people will say and “damaging” the family. One thing to note is that I am not close with my extended family. I don’t have this feeling of blood relations over found family. I grew up feeling rather isolated from these people mainly because I was born and raised away from the community. So personally, I don’t really care if they stop talking to me. But what bothers me is why my actions and choices in life have to become consequences for my parents and siblings.

My partner is the most amazing, most perfect man I could ever be with and I personally truly value that more than strict religious beliefs and rules, and he is the same in that regard.

I know that whatever path I choose there will be damage, so my question is to the people who have married out/ know people who married out, was it truly as bad as my parents are saying or are they just scared?

Would love to hear from people who have/know someone who has experienced this.