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The Druzes: A New Study of their History, Faith and Society. BY NEJLA M. ABU-IZZEDDIN. Second impression with corrections. Leiden: E. J. BRILL, 1994. Pp. 259. HFI 130, $74.50.
The Druzes, an offshoot of the Isma'ilis/Fatimids, like their parent body, were studied and judged almost entirely in the light of sources written by their adversaries; hence many misconceptions about them persist to this day. The most important contribution to Druze studies was the series of articles by Baron Silvestre de Sacy, the most distinguished orientalist of his time, culminating in his major work, the Expose de la religion des Druzes (Paris, 1838, republished in 1964). It marked a new beginning in the study of the Druze, their early history and doctrines based on their own sources. After that, serious study came to a standstill for a century, with the exception of some minor works dealing with their religion and the accounts of travelers....