[FH] Druze, was Another political question re: Tuffleverse

> And here's the kicker:  Druze.  Did they:
>
> 1) Migrate to New Israel?

I doubt it.  More likely that Israel would get the Maronite
Christians, who don't get along with the Druze.

> 2) Fight for and get autonomy in IFed?
> 3) Attempt No. 2 and get marched into death camps
> until they went underground?

No way.  Druze consider it perfectly acceptable to blend into whatever
happens to be in power at the moment, including claiming to be
whatever religion is on top at that time.  I was going to say "Druze
is still a subset of Islam" but I don't know that to be true, I only
know that's what they say right now.  Only a Druze is allowed to read
their sacred texts and they're not accepting new converts (haven't
since around AD 1100 or so).  The Druze also call themselves
"Al-Mouahhidoun" ("Unifiers") because their syncretist doctrine
combines elements of Islam, Christianity and Greek and Hindu
philosophy.   Orthodox Islam would consider them heretics--they don't
observe public prayer, Ramadan, or the hajj.

Now, it's possible the IF may have "volunteered" Druze to become
colonists (when the recruiting party comes with machine guns, it's
remarkable how many people suddenly find themselves wanting to live on
another planet), and Suriyeh Jadid (New Syria) would be an appropriate
place to settle them.

> 4) Give up and go free-lance?
> 5) Buy an Alarishi Rock?

#4 and 5 rather go together, don't they?  Djebel Druze ... I can see
that.  Remember that the AE was friendly with the IF until the coup of
2163--in fact, the AE sold them the exploration data for the IF's
planets.  And we already have some slightly unusual religious groups,
eg the Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon; the
Rastafarians (whose warships are DreadRocks, of course), and so forth.

This also brings to mind the Ismailis....which is a kettle of fish of
a different color.