[FH] Druze, was Another political question re: Tuffleverse

> And here's the kicker: Druze. Did they:

I doubt it. More likely that Israel would get the Maronite Christians, who
don't get along with the Druze.

> 2) Fight for and get autonomy in IFed?

No way. Druze consider it perfectly acceptable to blend into whatever happens
to be in power at the moment, including claiming to be whatever religion is on
top at that time. I was going to say "Druze is still a subset of Islam" but I
don't know that to be true, I only know that's what they say right now. Only a
Druze is allowed to read their sacred texts and they're not accepting new
converts (haven't since around AD 1100 or so). The Druze also call themselves
"Al-Mouahhidoun" ("Unifiers") because their syncretist doctrine
combines elements of Islam, Christianity and Greek and Hindu
philosophy.   Orthodox Islam would consider them heretics--they don't
observe public prayer, Ramadan, or the hajj.

Now, it's possible the IF may have "volunteered" Druze to become colonists
(when the recruiting party comes with machine guns, it's remarkable how many
people suddenly find themselves wanting to live on another planet), and
Suriyeh Jadid (New Syria) would be an appropriate place to settle them.

> 4) Give up and go free-lance?

#4 and 5 rather go together, don't they? Djebel Druze... I can see that.
Remember that the AE was friendly with the IF until the coup of
2163--in fact, the AE sold them the exploration data for the IF's
planets. And we already have some slightly unusual religious groups, eg the
Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon; the Rastafarians (whose
warships are DreadRocks, of course), and so forth.

This also brings to mind the Ismailis....which is a kettle of fish of a
different color.

> --- Laserlight <laserlight@quixnet.net> wrote:

> > 1) Migrate to New Israel?

Only Canonically: IMU I get the Maronites and most of
the other non-Islamic Arabs.

> This also brings to mind the Ismailis....which is a

The whom?

Ismail, Ahab, White...

Honestly John, you ought to read more (even Classics Illustrated as I
did):)

Michael Brown

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I have Druze in my version of New Israel. Who knows what the next 200 years
will bring. Will the last several of the greatest conflict undo the previous
50 of better relations with the Druze, or will the earlier relationships
restore in the 22nd century as the Druze are displaced in the same manner as
the Israelis in 2027? I opt for the latter when I wrote the history.

> --- Michael Brown <mwbrown@veriomail.com> wrote:

Someone whom I won't embarass said:
> Ismail, Ahab, White ...

Ah, no. That's "Ishmael". You may recognize Ismailis better as

Fooled by the fishy reference in your message. And I thought you made the
typo.

Michael Brown

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