Strangers in the West Hostages in the East

By Saïd Ibrahim OBEID

The Muwahhidun Druze are a small group, who tried in the eleventh century, to revolutionize and modernize Islam. They believe in Tawhid, which refers to the attestation to the oneness of God as well as to the unity of the universe in all its aspects within the oneness of the Creator. The transcendence of God, being exalted above and beyond his creation, is balanced by the immanence of God in each and every aspect of creation. The most important underpinnings of Tawhid are: The ONESS of God, Creation from the All Inclusive Being or Universal Mind and Reincarnation.
I came from this group who were persecuted over the centuries by the respective conservative Islamic regimes. That led to the introversion of the group, who, seeking safety and mysticism, elected to resort to the rugged terrain in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel.
I came to Europe with this closed baggage of faith and culture.
The book, STRANGERS IN THE WEST HOSTAGES IN THE EAST, addresses the conflict I experienced between the closed society I came from and the open one I had to live in. It is an attempt to analyze and respond to the following questions:
What is the identity? How do Westerners look at religion? How do Easterners look at religion? How do Westerners and Easterners look at mixed marriages (between adherents of two religions)? Is it still feasible for the Muslim and Christian worlds to exchange culture? From which Islamic factions did the Druze originate? What is Tawhid and the correlation of that with the Druze? Are we Lebanese, French, or both?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C2ST1CT8
• ISBN13: 9798393079314
• Release Date: April 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"