Tiny Religious Minorities in the Middle East: The Case of the Bahai, Druze and Yazidi Minorities

Abstract

This article seeks to compare the experiences and features of the three post-Islam tiny religious communities in the Middle East: Bahai, Druze and Yazidis. Each one of these communities had encountered an existential threat to its survival or genocide at one point or more throughout its history, and all of them are considered heretic movements by radical Islamist groups. Among these three religions, only the Druze is considered a militaristic community that was always ready to use arms in order to defend itself. In contrast to the Druze and Yazidis, the Bahai community is a proselytizing religion that accepts new believers, while its followers in general live in urban centres and belong to the upper middle class. The article also refers to the international law regarding minority rights and highlights the shortcomings in this set of laws in protecting these minorities.