DRUZE. The title Druze (Arab. Durzī; pl. Durūz) was given to the community by outsiders who derived it from the name of Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Darazī (d. 1019). Al-Darazī is considered by Druzes to be the "deviate" or "great heretic." Druzes refer to themselves as Muwwaḥḥidūn (Unitarians) or Ahl al-Tawḥīd (the People of Unitarianism). In addition to these titles, the community is often known in the Middle East as Banū Maʿrūf (Sons of Mercy, or Sons of Beneficence). The term Maʿrūf is derived from the Arabic words ʿarafa (to know), maʿrifah (knowledge), and ʿirfān (esoteric knowledge, gnosis). More importantly, the Druze manuscripts refer to the community as madhhab ʿirfānī (a gnostic school), and to its members as Aʿrāf (those who possess knowledge).

There are approximately one million Druzes in the world today, with the...