Israeli Druze leader travels to US, urges protection for Syria’s Druze minority under Islamic rule

The spiritual leader of the Israeli Druze community, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif travelled to the United States to ensure U.S. protection for the Druze community in Syria under the new Islamic rule in Damascus.

The Druze minority fears that it will be persecuted by the new Islamist regime led by the Jihadist leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Al-Jolani.

Tarif who met with U.S. lawmakers in Washington and international leaders including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, stressed the importance to secure the rights of the Druze communities in Syria.

“The uncertainty in southern Syria necessitates international involvement and monitoring. Stability in Syria cannot be achieved without ensuring the stability and historical rights of Druze communities,” the Israeli Druze leader stated.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog also met with the Israeli Druze leader during his visit to the United States.

“I thank Sheikh Tarif for his significant visit to the U.S. The Druze community is an inseparable part of Israeli society. We are doing everything in our power to assist them and ensure their safety both in Israel and abroad. We will continue to work on the international stage to guarantee their well-being,” Danon stated.

Significant: Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif leads the Druze community in #Israel. His Washington visit coincides with a debate about the future of the Druze in #Syria, who have strong affinity with their Israeli Druze cousins. https://t.co/VBaE59RYCI

— Ahmed Quraishi (@_AhmedQuraishi) January 10, 2025

During his meeting with Guterres, Tarif urged the United Nations to play a greater role in securing the release of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Syria’s new Islamic ruler al-Sharaa seeks to present himself as a reformed moderate who rejects his Jihadist past and embraces the rule of law. However, the Druze minority in Syria fear persecution if they do not back al-Sharaa's recent mandates that include incorporating Islamic teachings in the school curriculum also for non-Muslims. While al-Sharaa has told the West that he will protect Syria’s diverse communities, he has so far refused to appoint a Druze governor in the Druze-majority Sweida region. To make things worse, Syria’s new Islamist ruler appointed instead Ahmad Quda, a man who was reportedly responsible for the killing of more than 200 Druze individuals during the 2017 clashes, mainly in the Druze village of Hader. Fearing new Islamist attacks, local Syrian Druze communities refuse to surrender their weapons to al-Sharaa's emerging military.

Prior to seizing power in Syria, al-Sharaa described the Druze community as Muslims who “lost their way.”

“They are Muslims who have lost their way and must be brought back to the right path.”

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December, Some Druze in Syria appeared to support annexation to Israel rather than living under Islamic rule.

“In the name of all the people of Hader, and if anyone objects, please say… if we have to choose, we will choose the lesser evil – to be annexed to the (Israeli) Golan!” a Druze speaker in Hader stated. Referring to Islamists, he warned of “the other evil coming our way,” adding that they would “take our wives, our daughters, our homes.”

Meanwhile, new data indicates that members of the Druze community on the Israeli Golan Heights increasingly seek Israeli citizenship. Some 20% of the local Druze population has reportedly already acquired Israeli passports and several experts predict that this trend will continue.