Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 February 2016
Neither under Ottoman rule nor under the Mandate—nor even under Israel law until 1957—were the Druzes recognised as a religious community. Until quite recently, they resorted to the Sharī'a Courts in matters of personal status although under the Palestine Order-in-Council of 1922 these courts had no jurisdiction over non-Muslims. But in 1957, the Druzes gained recognition as a religious community within the meaning of the Religious Communities (Organisation) Ordinance, 1926, and the Druze Spiritual Leadership was given the status of a religious council within the meaning of the Religious Communities (Organisation) (Druze Community) Regulations, 1957. In 1963, by virtue of the Druze Religious Courts Law, 1962, a court of first instance and a court of appeal were established for the community. These have exclusive jurisdiction in matters of marriage and divorce of Druzes in Israel who are nationals or residents of the State. In other matters of personal status they have concurrent jurisdiction. In the absence of agreement to the jurisdiction of the religious court, jurisdiction vests in the District Court. The Druze courts also have exclusive jurisdiction in matters relating to the creation or internal administration of waqfs (endowments) established before a Druze court under Druze law or established, prior to the coming into force of the Druze Religious Courts Law, in accordance with Druze custom and not before any judicial authority.
1 Religious Communities (Organisation) (Druze Community) Regulations (1957) K.T. no. 695, p. 1280.
2 See (1962) S.H. no. 383, p. 20. For more detail see Layish, A., “Ha-Shiput ha-Adati shel ha-Druzim be-Yisra'el” (1961) 11 Hamizrah Hehadash 258–262.Google Scholar
3 For more detail see Layish, A., “The Muslim Waqf in Israel” (1966) 2 Asian and African Studies 51.Google Scholar
4 For more detail see Layish, A., “Ma'amad ha-Islam ba-Mishpacha ha-Druzit be-Yisra'el” (1976) 26 Hamizrah Hehadash Nos. 3–4, pp. 149–150, 158.Google Scholar
5 For more detail see Layish, A., Women and Islamic Law in a Non-Muslim State (Jerusalem, 1975) 3 ff.Google Scholar
6 See ibid., at 132 ff.
7 See Ḥarīz, Salīm, “Al-Shar' al-Durzī”, Al-Wăqi' al-Durzī wa-Ḥatmiyyat al-Taṭawwur (Beirut, 1962), 85 ff.Google Scholar; Anderson, J.N.D., “The Personal Law of the Druze Community” (1952) N.S. II Die Welt des Islam, 85–86Google Scholar; cf. Fallāḥ, Salmān, Toledot ha-Druzim be-Yisra'el (Jerusalem, 1974) 84.Google Scholar
8 See Sacy, Silvestre de, Exposé de la religion des Druzes (Paris, 1964) vol. 2, pp. 699–700.Google Scholar See preceding note for Anderson, at 86 and Ḥarīz, at 74, 88–89. See also quotations from religious-legal sources in al-Najjār, 'Abd Allah, Madhhab al-Durūz wa'l-Tawhīd (Acre) 155–156Google Scholar; see also S. Fallāḥ, op. cit. at 111; idem, “Kfar Sumayyac—A Druze Village in Upper Galilee” (1968) 18 Israel Exploration Journal 38.
9 See Anderson, J.N.D., “The Syrian Law of Personal Status” (1955) 17 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 41–42CrossRefGoogle Scholar; idem, “Reforms in the Law of Divorce in the Muslim World” (1970) 31 Studia Islamica 48–49; Coulson, N.J., A History of Islamic Law (Edinburgh, 1964) 209–210.Google Scholar
10 (1973) 27 L.S.I. 313; see Meron, Jacob, “Yahasei Mamon bein Benei Zug Muslimi'im” (1973) 3 Iyunei Mishpat 279 ff.Google Scholar
11 See A. Layish, Marriage, Divorce and Succession in the Druze Family (forthcoming), the chapter on divorce, Table I.
12 See Druze Religious Court of the Golan Heights (hereinafter: Golan), Ṭalāq and Nafaqa, File 58/72; Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 4/72, Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 2/72, and Appeals, Talāq, File 68/65; see also (1969) 4 Majallat al-Akhbār al-Durziyya nos. 1–2, p. 19.
13 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 8/73.
14 See Golan, Ṭalāq and Nafaqa, File 58/72; Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 156/72, 2/71, 139/73, 69/74, 104/74 and 160/74.
15 See Druze Division, File Mem. 1/3/29, File 7 of 30 June 1959; Haifa, Nafaqa, File 136/74; Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 118/74.
16 See Druze Division, File Mem. 1/3/29, File 7 of 30 June 1959; Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 69/74 and 139/73.
17 See Lavish, , Women and Islamic Law (supra n. 5) 44 ff.Google Scholar; idem, “Ha-Poligamia veha-Mishpacha ha-Druzit beYisra'el” Iyunei Mishpat (forthcoming); idem, Marriage (supra n. 11), the chapter on divorce.
18 Interview with Yūsuf Mulā of 4 August 1975; Lavish, Women and Islamic Law 146 ff.
19 Interview with Shaykh Labīb Abū Rukn and Shaykh Muhammad Άli Farhāt on 29 July 1974. See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 30/65; Golan, Ṭalāq, File 51/74.
20 Cf. Layish, , Women and Islamic Law 328.Google Scholar
21 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 105/71 and 4/64.
22 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 60/66 and 105/71.
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25 See, e.g., Haifa, Tā'a, File 97/70, and Ṭalāq, File 1/71 (married for forty years); Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 110/71, Golan, Ṭalāq, File 51/74; interview with Salīm Khayr on 18 December 1974.
26 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 75/64 of 26 May 1964.
27 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 87/74. See also Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 31/65 and 78/71.
28 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 61/72 and 27/72; Haifa, Ṭā'a, File 97/70, and Ṭalāq, Files 1/71 and 51/74.
29 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 121/73 of 29 November 1973.
30 See Druze Division, File 4/59/1, Ṭalāq, of 21 July 1959; Haifa Ṭalāq, File 110/71. Cf. Rosenfeld, H., Heim Hayu Falahim (Tel Aviv, 1964), 152–153.Google Scholar
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32 See Haifa, Nafaqa, File 106/72; Golan, Ṭalāq, File 16/74; Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 24/75. Cf. Layish, , Women and Islamic Law 143–144.Google Scholar
33 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 75/64 of 26 May 1964, and 10 February 1965; File 70/71; Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 46/74. For more detail see A. Layish, Marriage (supra n. 11), the chapter on the prohibition of the reinstatement of a divorced woman.
34 See Layish, , Women and Islamic Law 147.Google Scholar
35 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 61/72 and 121/73 of 29 November 1973, and 27 March 1974.
36 See, e.g., Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 60/65.
37 See Mu'adī, Kamãl, “Al-Mar'a al-Durziyya Ḥuqūquhā Wājibātuhā Zawājuhā Ṭalāquhā” (1973) 6 Majallat al-Akhbār al-Durziyya 25Google Scholar; interview with Shaykh Kamāl Mu'adî on 5 March 1974.
38 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 30/65; Druze Court of Appeal in Lebanon, no. 152 of 27 August 1970, in Qays, Faysal Nājib, Majmū'at Ijtihādāt al-Maḥākim al-Madhhabiyya al-Durziyya, 1968–1972, (Beirut) 109–110.Google Scholar
39 See, e.g., (1969) 4 Majallat al-Akhbār, al-Durziyya nos. 1/2, p. 19; Haifa, Ṭalāq, Files 97/70, 133/72, 129/73 and 4/72 and Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 2/72.
40 See Haifa, Nafaqa, Files 106/72 and 140/72.
41 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 81/66; Golan, Ṭalāq, File 16/74.
42 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 129/73; Mu'adī, (supra n. 37) 25.
43 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 61/72; Appeals, Ṭalāq, Files 1/73 and 97/70; Golan, Ṭalāq and Nafaqa, File 58/72.
44 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 133/72; Golan, Ṭalāq, File 16/74; (1969) 4 Majallat al-Akhbār al-Durziyya nos. 1/2, p. 19.
45 Interview with Shaykh Labīb Abū Rukn on 18 May 1975.
46 See Appeal, Ṭalāq, File 2/72 (published in (1973) 6 Majallat al-Akhbār al-Durziyya 50); H.G.J. 409/72, Khaṭṭār v. Druze Religious Court of Haifa et al.
47 See Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 46/74; Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 121/73 of 21 September 1973.
48 See Golan, Ṭalāq, File 76/74. See also Golan, Ṭalāq, File 51/74; Layish, A., “Women and Succession in the Druze Family in Israel” (1976) 11 Asian and African Studies, no. 1, p. 112 ff.Google Scholar
49 See Haifa, Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 24/75; Layish, , Women and Islamic Law 334–335.Google Scholar
50 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 87/74.
51 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 110/65; she was eventually awarded maintenance beyond the waiting-period.
52 See Golan, Ṭalāq, File 51/74, Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 31/65.
53 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 97/70. See also Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 61/72.
54 See, e.g., Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 75/64 of 10 February 1965, File 121/73 of 21 September 1973; Golan, Ṭalāq, File 56/74. For more detail see Layish, Marriage (supra n. 11), the chapter on prohibition of reinstatement of divorced woman.
55 See, e.g., Golan, Ṭalāq, Files 16/74 and 51/74. Cf. Layish, “Women and Succession” (supra n. 48) 112–113.
56 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 61/72 of 5 December 1972 and 26 February 1973; Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 1/73.
57 See Haifa, Ṭalāq, File 2/72 (also published in (1973) 6 Majallat al-Akhbār al-Durziyya 43); Appeals, Ṭalāq, File 24/75.
58 See Haifa, Ṭā'a, File 97/70 and Ṭalāq, File 1/71.
59 Sec Harīz, p. 87; Ṣa'b, ‘Afīfa, “Al-Mar'a al-Durziyya” Al-Wāqi' al-Durzi wa-Ḥatmiyyat al-TaṬawwur (Beirut, 1962) 125.Google Scholar
60 See Layish, , Women and Islamic Law 144, 214–217.Google Scholar