What are the two main religions in Lebanon?

According to latest global estimations, 61\% of Lebanon’s population identify as Muslim while 33.7\% identify as Christian. The Muslim population is somewhat evenly split between followers of Sunni (30.6\%) and Shi’a (30.5\%) denominations, with smaller numbers of those belonging to Alawite and Ismaili sects.

Do the Druze believe in God?

Nearly all Druze (99\%) believe in God, including 84\% who say they are absolutely certain in their belief. But there are no set holy days, regular liturgy or obligations for pilgrimage, as Druze are meant to be connected with God at all times.

What is Druze ancestry?

The Druze are an aggregate of communities in the Levant and Near East living almost exclusively in the mountains of Syria, Lebanon and Israel whose ~1000 year old religion formally opposes mixed marriages and conversions.

Do Druze fast?

The Druze faith does not follow the Five Pillars of Islam, such as fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. “The Druze follow a lifestyle of isolation where no conversion is allowed, neither out of, or into, the religion.

What is the history of the Lebanese Druze people?

One of the most famous of them was the 17th-century ruler Fakhr al-Dīn II of the house of Maʿn, who forged a coalition with the Maronite Christians of the Lebanon Mountains and challenged Ottoman authority by allying with Tuscany. The largest concentration of Druze in the present day is in Lebanon.

Was the Maronite-Druze conflict a religious war?

The Maronite-Druze conflict in 1840–60 was an outgrowth of the Maronite Christian independence movement, directed against the Druze, Druze feudalism, and the Ottoman-Turks. The civil war was not therefore a religious war, except in Damascus, where it spread and where the vastly non-Druze population was anti-Christian.

What role did the Druze play in the Crusades?

During the Crusades, Druze soldiers aided the Ayyūbid and later Mamlūk forces by resisting Crusader advances at the Lebanese coast. The Druze enjoyed considerable autonomy under the Ottoman Empire and often rebelled against it, protected from direct Ottoman control by the mountainous terrain of their homelands.

What was the Lebanese Civil War about?

Main article: Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) was a complex conflict in the form of various factions and shifting alliances between and among Lebanese Maronite Catholics, Lebanese Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, Lebanese Druze, and other non-sectarian groups.