Amin Tarif (,

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: אמין טריף; born 1898 – October 2, 1993) was the

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

, or spiritual leader, of the

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

from 1928 and then

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

until his death in 1993. Such was the esteem in which he was held among Druze internationally that

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Amin was regarded by many within the community as the preeminent spiritual authority in the Druze world. Sheikh Amin was born in 1898 in the village of

Julis Julis ( ''Jūlis'', ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and Local council (Israel), local council in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived fr ...

in Upper Western

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

. One of four brothers and two sisters, Amin was the youngest son of Sheikh Tarif Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze in

from 1888 till his death. In 1911, after graduating from fourth grade, Amin travelled to the

Khalwat al-Bayada The ''Khalwat al-Bayada ('White Khalwat';''Khalwat'' is the name of the prayer-houses of the Druze. also romanized ''Khalwet el Biyad'', ''Khalwat al-Biyyada'') is the central sanctuary, and theological school of the Druze, located in Lebanon a ...

, near Hasbaya, in

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

. There he studied the basics of the Druze religion, graduating in 1918. Returning to Julis, the Sheikh adopted an ascetic lifestyle according to Druze ideals, living modestly from grains grown for his own needs. In 1928, following the death of his father, it was decided to appoint Amin as spiritual leader of the Druze community. In addition to serving as his community's spiritual leader, Tarif served as Chairman of the Druze Religious Court of Appeals from 1963 and managed the assets of

Maqam Maqam, makam, maqaam or maqām (plural maqāmāt) may refer to: Musical structures * Arabic maqam, melodic modes in traditional Arabic music ** Iraqi maqam, a genre of Arabic maqam music found in Iraq * Persian maqam, a notion in Persian clas ...

Nabi Shu'ayb - a religious complex that

believe houses the tomb of the Prophet Jethro. Despite the esteem in which Amin was held, his relationship with Druze in neighbouring states was complicated by the Sheikh's loyalty to the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In 1977, following complaints from the community in Lebanon that Israeli shelling threatened the Khalwat al-Bayada, he advised Druze members of the Knesset to ask questions of the Israeli government. In 1990, Amin was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

for his special contribution to society and the State of Israel, being one of the few non-Jews receive this award. Sheikh Amin died on October 2, 1993. The Israeli President,

Ezer Weizman Ezer Weizman (, ; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was an Israeli major general and politician who served as the president of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air ...

, the Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

and the Chairman of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

were among the dignitaries present at his funeral. Simultaneously, additional ceremonies, attended by tens of thousands of Druze, took place in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and Lebanon. The Sheikh was buried in a room at his family home in Julis. His tomb has since become a place of pilgrimage - large numbers of Druze visit the Sheikh's resting-place annually on the anniversary of his death. Sheikh Amin's grandson, Mowafak Tarif, succeeded his grandfather as the spiritual leader of Israel's Druze. In June 2009 sectarian clashes between

and Christian Arab youth in the town of

Shefa-'Amr Shefa-Amr or Shefar'am (; ) is an Arab city in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of with a Sunni Muslim majority and large Christian Arab and Druze minorities. Etymology Palmer writes that the name meant: "The margin ...

were sparked by the posting of a YouTube clip dishonouring Sheikh Amin's memory.Man suspected of circulating anti-Druze video arrested
Ynetnews, 06.19.09, Israeli News

References

External links

English-language site dedicated to the Sheikh's memory. * https://web.archive.org/web/20130609154403/http://www.sheikh-ameen-tareef.net/eng/index.htm Photograph of Sheikh Amin Tarif. * https://web.archive.org/web/20071022233747/http://www.druzehistoryandculture.com/Sheikh%20Tarif.jpg The Sheikh's tomb in Julis.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarif, Amin 1898 births 1993 deaths Israeli Druze people People from Julis Israeli Druze religious leaders Israel Prize for special contribution to society and the State recipients Druze people from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Israeli people Tarif family

See also

References

External links