Reflection IV

I love learning about different religions and communities, and the Druze community is extremely fascinating to me.  First of all, their food is delicious.  Obviously, I was intrigued by more than spectacular lamb.  From a combination of prior knowledge, the chapter in The Israelis, and the explanations we received on the trip, I learned that the Druze are an offshoot of Islam, and most of their religious practices are secret.  I had no idea that there were two distinct groups of Druze, divided between those who were very religious, and those who had read less of their holy texts.  Observant and traditional Druze wear white caps or headscarves, and women must dress modestly.  Druze have a very distinct culture, which they attempt to preserve by forbidding marriage outside the Druze community, as well as prohibiting converts to the religion.  Abu Allah, who played multiple traditional instruments for us showed how he was trying to further preserve the culture by teaching thousands of students how to play traditional instruments.   

Allah’s family, they half-joked that in Druze culture, the woman is the boss.  On the one hand, we saw that women were considered strong and that they controlled domestic affairs, and were respected for their role in the household.  Allah’s daughters were educated and also worked.  At the same time, Allah’s wife could not shake another man’s hand, women cannot serve in the army, cannot serve as priests, and have clothing restrictions not echoed by Druze men.  We saw that Druze women have a certain amount of freedom and opportunity.  Any traditions that they uphold, which I might consider to be restrictive or sexist, are probably their choice.  Druze are relatively integrated into Israeli society, as we both read about and witnessed, so Druze women are definitely aware that other women may live differently.  And with the knowledge that there is another option, they continue some traditions.  From this point of view, who am I to say that this is wrong?  If this is their culture and they choose to continue traditional roles, then I guess it’s not a problem.

                However, it’s more complicated than that to me.  While many Druze women have a lot of rights, and more choose their lifestyle, there remains the fact that those who might not want to comply, do not have that option.  A Druze who marries outside the community, and presumably a woman who does not conform to traditional expectations may be excommunicated.  Thus, one could argue that Druze women do not in fact have a choice, and so some may find their situation as one of inequality, but would rather put up with it than never see their families again.

                So is the situation of Druze women a problematic one?  I don’t know.  I’m inclined to think that Druze women have a lot of freedom relative to many women in the world, and that many women choose a traditional lifestyle consciously.  But that this does not mean that the traditional society is necessarily totally equal, and this doesn’t mean that one can’t look at the society and acknowledge some possible issues.