Amin Tarif ( ar, أمين طريف,

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

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

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

, or spiritual leader, of the Druze in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

from 1928 and then

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

until his death in 1993. Such was the esteem in which he was held among Druze internationally that Sheikh 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 ( ar, جولس ''Jūlis'', he, ג'וּלִס ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and local council in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived from "Julius," the na ...

in Upper Western Galilee. One of four brothers and two sisters, Amin was the youngest son of Sheikh Muhammad Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze in Galilee from 1888 till his death. In 1911, after graduating from fourth grade, Amin travelled to the

Khalwat al-Bayada Khalwat is the name of the prayer-houses of the Druze. The primary sanctuary of the Druze is at Khalwat al-Bayada. The Druze school of theology in Lebanon The ''Khalwat al-Bayada, Khalwet el Biyad, Khalwat al-Biyyada'' or ''White houses of ...

, near

Hasbaya Hasbeya or Hasbeiya ( ar, حاصبيا) is a town in Lebanon, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani. In 1911, the population was about 5000. Hasbaya is the capital of the Wa ...

, in Mount Lebanon. 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

Nabi Shu'ayb Nabi Shuʿayb (also transliterated Neby Shoaib, Nabi Shuaib, or Nebi Shu'eib, meaning "the Prophet Shuaib"), known in English as Jethro's tomb, is a religious shrine west of Tiberias, in the Lower Galilee, containing the purported tomb of prophet ...

- a religious complex that Druze 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. 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 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 (; he, עֵזֶר וַיצְמָן ''Ezer Vaytsman''; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Ai ...

, the Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

and the Chairman of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

were among the dignitaries present at his funeral. Simultaneously, additional ceremonies, attended by tens of thousands of Druze, took place in Syria 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 Druze and Christian Arab youth in the town of

Shefa-'Amr Shefa-Amr, also Shfar'am ( ar, شفاعمرو, Šafāʻamr, he, שְׁפַרְעָם, Šəfarʻam) is an Arab citizens of Israel, Arab city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of , with a Sunni I ...

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 from Julis Israeli Druze religious leaders Israel Prize for special contribution to society and the State recipients Druze people from the Ottoman Empire

See also

References

External links