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Druze: Maronite Christians
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There are sources suggesting that the Druze had their own identity even before conversion to the faith in al-Hakim. Unsubstantiated theories point in a direction of the Druze being descendants of Persian colonists, while another theory says they are descendants of Christians from the time of the crusades. The latter is not very likely, due to the fact that the first crusade took place 80 years after al-Hakim's disappearance.
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At the battle of Ain Dara in 1711 two Druze factions fought - the Qaysis of northern Arabian origin and the Yamanis of southern origin. The decisive victory of the Qaysis caused many of the Yamanis to flee to the Hawran region, reducing Druze influence in Mount Lebanon. The Shihabi principality slowly fell under the political and military control of external rulers. Sectarianism began to take root and religious consciousness was on the rise. Moreover, in the late eighteenth century the Shihabis converted to Christianity, which further reduced the Druze influence in Mount Lebanon.
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The Druze traditionally dwelt as isolated tribes in Lebanon led by their own amirs (rulers). These tribes fell under the rule, in name at least, of the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century until 1918. But under the leadership of three Druze political families, they maintained a considerable degree of autonomy (self-government) and regional control by opposing the military forces sent by Ottoman sultans to force them into submission. In 1860 bloody conflicts broke out in Lebanon between the region’s Christians, known as Maronites, and the Druze. These conflicts arose in part over localized political control and in part as a result of Druze families converting to Maronite Christianity. European colonial powers intervened to protect the Christians.
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Not all Druze history has been peaceful. Differences with some neighbors have led to bloodshed. In 1860, the Druze attacked Maronite Christians throughout Mount Lebanon in Lebanon's first civil war. It is estimated that more than 11,000 Christians were killed, 4000 more died of hunger or exposure, and 100,000 were displaced.[17]
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Tension between the Maronites and the Druze had been mounting throughout the 19th century. The Maronites had been very responsive to educational and cultural influences penetrating form the west and soon outdistanced the Druze in the economic and social race. The Maronites were starting to establish themselves in the Shuf district which had been dominated by the Druze and were becoming disproportionately influential in financial and state affairs. The Porte decided that Lebanon had gone too far in its separatist policy and it was time to put a stop to it. Divide and rule seemed to be the order of the day, if the Druze were to weaken the Maronites, the way would be open for the Ottomans to control Lebanon.
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These large-scale revolts erupted among the Druze (particularly in Hawran) beginning in 1837, when Ibrahim Pasha ibn Muhammad Ali sought to force conscription in the region to support his adventures and those of his father. The Egyptian force sent from Damascus to suppress the rebels was defeated. The Druze of Hawran were soon aided by those from Shuf and Wadi al-Taym, and by Muslims from Mount Nablus in Palestine, who ... were subject to conscription. During the revolt, a Druze warrior named Shibli al-Aryan became a national hero. Ibrahim Pasha's frustration in dealing with Druze rebels led him to request Bashir II to send Christian fighters to quell the rebellion. The Christian soldiers were under the command of Bashir's son Khalil, which reinforced Druze suspicions about Bashir's sectarian biases.
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Maronite Christians