Sheikh Qassem Bader: Conflicts in Middle East negatively affecting Druze

A group of journalists from Azerbaijan held a meeting with Sheikh Qassem Bader, the religious leader of the Druze community in Israel and head of the Universal Peace Council, Report's correspondent informs.

During the meeting, the journalists learned about the history and distinct characteristics of the Druze community.

According to Bader, conflicts in the Middle East negatively impact the Druze, whose communities live separated by state borders. "My wife's relatives live in Lebanon, while we live in Israel. The distance between our families is an 18-minute drive, but we have not seen them for 26 years," he said.

Bader emphasized the necessity of establishing peace among the nations of the region and detailed his efforts aimed at fostering this process.

The Druze represent an ethnoreligious community that formed in the Middle East in the 11th century. The Druze reside primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Their religious tradition is closed to new converts, which has helped preserve their distinct communal identity. Modern state borders have separated Druze communities across the region, affecting ties among relatives and co-religionists.