page_title: Religion in Israel
section_title: Druze
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Israel / Religious groups / Druze
caption_attribution_description: English: Druze man in Peki'in עברית: שייח' דרוזי בפקיעין.
context_page_description: Religion in Israel is a central feature of the country and plays a major role in shaping Israeli culture and lifestyle.
  The majority of Israeli citizens are Jews, but not all are religious. Many Israeli Jews are secular or atheistic. Some are hostile to all forms of religious beliefs and practices. One measure of Jewish religious observance in Israel is the proportion of Jewish Israelis that vote for religious parties to represent them in the Knesset. Roughly one third of Jewish Israelis vote for religious parties such as the Religious Zionists and the Haredi.
  Religion has played a central role in Israel's history. Israel is also the only country in the world where the majority of citizens is Jewish. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population in 2011 was 75.4% Jewish, 20.6% Arab, and 4.1% minority groups. The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2019 was 74.2% Jewish, 17.8% Muslim, 2.0% Christian, and 1.6% Druze, with the remaining 4.4% including faiths such as Samaritanism and Baha'iism, and irreligious people with no faith.
context_section_description: Israel is home to about 143,000 Druze who follow their own gnostic religion. Self described as "Ahl al-Tawhid", and "al-Muwaḥḥidūn" (meaning "People of Oneness", and "Unitarians", respectively), the Druze live mainly in the Northern District, southern Haifa District, and northern occupied Golan Heights. Since 1957, the Israeli government has also designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community, at the request of the community's leaders. Until his death in 1993, the Druze community in Israel was led by Shaykh Amin Tarif, a charismatic figure regarded by many within the Druze community internationally as the preeminent religious leader of his time.
caption: Druze man in Peki'in
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