Muwaffaq Tarif (; born 1963) is a Druzite

religious leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and the main

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 ...

of the Druze in Israel.

Biography

Tarif was born in 1963 in the city 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 ...

. Since 1753, his family has been leading the Druze community in Ottoman Syria,

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 ...

, 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 ...

. In 1993, he inherited the position of spiritual leader upon the death of his grandfather, Amin Tarif. He is a graduate of the Higher School for Druze Religious Studies in

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 ...

, Lebanon. He also graduated from the Faculty of Law of the

Ono Academic College Ono Academic College (''in Hebrew'': הקריה האקדמית אונו) is a private college located in Kiryat Ono, Israel with over 18,000 students.

, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...

in 2010. In January 2004, Tarif signed a declaration calling on non-Jews living in Israel to observe the

Noahide Laws In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (, ''Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach''), otherwise referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachian Laws (from the Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of universal moral laws which, according to the Talmud, ...

. He was joined by the mayor 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 ...

. 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. In January 2025, he met with U.S. officials, including Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

, to secure U.S. protection for the Druze community in Syria under the new Islamic rule after the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

. In May 2025, after the massacres against the Syrian Druze, Tarif urged Israel and

international community The international community is a term used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. Usage Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is typically used to imply the ...

to intervene.

Notes

References

Israeli Druze religious leaders Living people 1963 births Ono Academic College alumni People from Julis 21st-century Israeli people Tarif family {{Islam-bio-stub