Editing Druze (section)

==== Arabian hypothesis ====
[[File:Buhturid Mount Lebanon.png|thumb|Map of the [[Buhturid]] domains in [[Mount Lebanon]] under [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] rule, with the Buhturids, a [[Tanukh]] clan, holding a significant place in Druze history.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=11}}]]
The Druze faith extended to many areas in the Middle East, but most of the modern Druze can trace their origin to the ''[[Wadi al-Taym]]'' in [[Southern Lebanon]], which is named after an Arab tribe [[Taym Allah]] (or Taym Allat) which, according to Islamic historian [[al-Tabari]], first came from the Arabian Peninsula into the valley of the [[Euphrates]] where they had been [[Christianized]] prior to their migration into Lebanon. Many of the Druze feudal families, whose genealogies have been preserved by the two modern Syrian chroniclers Haydar al-Shihabi and [[Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq]], seem also to point in the direction of this origin. Arabian tribes emigrated via the [[Persian Gulf]] and stopped in Iraq on their route that would later to lead them to Syria. The first feudal Druze family, the [[Tanukhids]], which made for itself a name in fighting the Crusaders was, according to Haydar al-Shihabi, an Arab tribe from [[Mesopotamia]] where it occupied the position of a ruling family and apparently was Christianized.{{Sfn|Hitti|1924}}{{Rp|needed=yes|date=April 2012}}

Travelers like [[Carsten Niebuhr|Niebuhr]], and scholars like [[Max von Oppenheim]], undoubtedly echoing the popular Druze belief regarding their own origin, have classified them as [[Arabs]].{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=10}}

The Arabian hypothesis is widely regarded as the leading explanation for the origins of the Druze people among historians, scholars, intellectuals, and religious leaders within the Druze community.{{sfn|Firro|2023|p=19-20}} This theory suggests that the Druze descended from twelve Arab tribes that migrated to Syria before and during the early Islamic period.{{sfn|Firro|2023|p=19}}{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=10}}{{sfn|Makarim|1974|pp=2–3}} It also serves as the primary framework for understanding their historical and racial origins, as reflected in their oral traditions and written literature. This hypothesis is central to the Druze's self-perception and cultural identity.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=14}} This view is accepted by the entire Druze community in Syria and Lebanon, as well as by most Druze in Israel.{{sfn|Firro|2023|p=20}} The Arabic language is spoken by the Druze and is also the language in which their sacred texts are written. Scholars who hold this view argue that this linguistic connection underscores the Druze's ethnic Arab identity.

According to Druze historian [[Nejla Abu-Izzedin]], the Druze people are of Arab origin, both culturally and historically.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=14}} She explains that Druze traditions and narratives consistently trace their roots to [[Arab tribes]] who settled in Syria, some prior to the advent of Islam and others during the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant|Muslim conquest]].{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=10}} Abu-Izzedin further notes that when the Druze community was established, its members were spread across a wide area of Syria. The majority of those who embraced the Druze faith were Arab tribes from the northern region, making the Arab elements of the community predominant.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=11}} According to Abu-Izzedin, "ethnically", the "Wadi al-Taym has been authoritatively stated to be one of the most Arab regions of [geographical] [[Syria (region)|Syria]]".{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=12}} The area was one of the two most important centers of Druze missionary activity in the 11th century.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=12}}

Additionally, [[Nejla Abu-Izzedin|Abu-Izzedin]] highlights that the Tanukhids, an Arab tribe, hold a significant place in Druze history.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=11}} She asserts that the Druze claims of Arab origin were not driven by self-interest, as Arabs were no longer in a dominant position when the Druze community was founded in the 11th century.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=10-11}} Furthermore, Druze narratives recount their involvement in pivotal events in [[Arab history]].{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=14}} In modern times, the Druze have largely adopted [[Arab nationalism]] and played a notable role in the [[Great Syrian Revolt]] of 1920's.{{sfn|Abu-Izeddin|1993|p=14}}

Druze scholar [[Sami Makarem]] notes that Wadi Taym and [[southern Lebanon]] ([[Jabal Amel]]) were pivotal centers for Druze missionary activity in the 11th century, inhabited by Arab tribes.{{sfn|Makarim|1974|pp=2–3}} He explains that Druze oral traditions and religious documents suggest that most Druze ancestors came from twelve Arab tribes in [[Maarat al-Numan]] during the early period of Islam and its conquests. Later, they migrated and settled in Lebanon.{{sfn|Makarim|1974|pp=2–3}} Makarem highlights the Druze's strong Arab heritage, noting that early Druze followers were predominantly of Arab descent.{{sfn|Makarim|1974|pp=2–3}} He also points out that many tribes settling in the [[Levant]] before Islam came from southern Arabia, including [[Yaman (tribal group)|Yamani]] and [[Qaysi]] tribes. According to Makarem, Druze belief links their ancestry to tribes that lived in [geographical] [[Syria (region)|Syria]], some before Islam and others arriving during the conquest.{{sfn|Makarim|1974|pp=2–3}}

Israeli Druze historian [[Salman Hamud Fallah]] asserted that the Druze people of today originated from the [[Arabian Peninsula]]. He noted that some of their ancestors came from the northern part of the peninsula, while others came from the southern region, specifically [[Yemen]].<ref>Salih Zaher-Eddin, History of the Muslem Al Muwahidun Al Druze (Katar: The Arabic Center for Research and Documentation, 1994), p. 78 [Arabic]</ref> In addition, Israeli Druze historian Yusri Hazran describes the Druze narrative, which holds that twelve Arab tribes migrated into the Syrian region either before the rise of Islam or during the early Islamic period. These tribes were predominantly of [[Yaman (tribal group)|Yamani]] tribes, with the [[Tanukhids]] being the most dominant among them. Subsequently, these tribes adopted the Druze doctrine. Hazran affirms that this narrative is recognized within Druze doctrine and its scriptures.{{sfn|Hazran|2013|p=18}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East |first=Paul S. |last=Rowe |year=2018 |isbn=9781317233794 |page=201 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]}}</ref>

Druze researchers and historians from Israel, such as Kais M. Firro, Rabah Halabi, Munir Fakhr El-Din, and Afifa E. Kheir, confirm that the Druze are Arabs and note that this was not a contentious issue in Israel before 1962.{{sfn|Firro|2023|p=20}}<ref name="Reshaping Druze Particularism in Is"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Codeswitching as an Index and Construct of Sociopolitical Identity: The Case of the Druze and Arabs in Israel |first=Eve A. |last=Kheir |year=2023 |isbn=9789004534803 |page=55 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]}}</ref> Halabi observes that Israeli policies aimed at granting the Druze a distinct community status and political identity led some Druze to see this separate "Druze-Israeli identity" as an ethnic marker for [[social integration]] within Israeli society.<ref name="Invention of a Nation: The Druze in"/> Firro argues that efforts to create a separate Druze identity distinct from Arabs are politically motivated and lack historical basis, citing Druze religious and historical literature that affirms their Arab heritage.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Druzes in the Jewish State: A Brief History| first=Kais|last=M. Firro|year= 2021| isbn=9789004491915|pages =158–159|publisher=Brill}}</ref> Scholar Michael Cohen adds that, despite the Israeli and Zionist narrative promoting a distinct "Druze ethnic identity", most Druze in Israel view their origins as Arab and consider their Druze identity primarily as religious.<ref>{{cite book|title=The British Mandate in Palestine: A Centenary Volume, 1920–2020| first=Michael|last=J. Cohen|year= 2020| isbn=9780429640483|page =|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref>