Mowafaq Tarif
Sheikh Mowafaq Ṭarīf (Arabic: موفق طريف; Hebrew: מוואפק טריף; born 1963) is the qadi (spiritual leader) of the Druze in Israel.[1][2]
Life
Tarif was born in 1963 in the city of Julis. Since 1753, his family has been leading the Druze community in Ottoman Syria, Mandatory Palestine, then Israel. In 1993, he inherited the position of spiritual leader upon the death of his grandfather, Sheikh Amin Tarif.[3][4]
He is a graduate of the Higher School for Druze Religious Studies in Khalwat al-Bayada, Lebanon. He also graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Ono Academic College, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa in 2010.[5]
In January 2004, Tarif signed a declaration calling on non-Jews living in Israel to observe the Noahide Laws. He was joined by the mayor of Shefa-'Amr.[6] In April 2018, he was selected by the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies to light a torch at the torch-lighting ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.[7]
In January 2025, he met with U.S. officials, including Senator Ted Cruz, to secure U.S. protection for the Druze community in Syria under the new Islamic rule after the fall of the Assad regime.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (10 July 2009). "Druze Lead in IDF Enlistment". Arutz Sheva.
- ^ "Israel's Druze call for world to help their sect in Syria". Ynet News. 14 June 2015.
- ^ The Assimilator: Intermarrying high and low culture at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-12-22) Forward Magazine
- ^ "Hundreds of Israeli Druze said anxious to join the fight against rebels in Syria". The Times of Israel. 31 March 2013.
- ^ Greer Fay Cashman (20 October 2013). "Druze community of Israel to President Peres: Help our brethren in Syria". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Druze Religious Leader Commits to Noachide "Seven Laws"". Arutz Sheva. 2004-01-18. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ^ Moran Azoulay (8 April 2018). "אלה מדליקי המשואות ביום העצמאות ה-70" (in Hebrew). Ynet.
- ^ "Israeli Druze leader travels to US, urges protection for Syria's Druze minority under Islamic rule". All Israel News. 13 January 2025.