Arabs and Muslims in the IDF

[OlehBoy07]

Many of Arabs/Muslims serve in IDF . Druze (a sect from Shia Islam) soldiers serve everywhere in IDF and Israeli police , and doing a damn good job at it . There are also Muslims from former Soviet Union who serve in different IDF units .

But for more conservative Muslim communities who wish to serve as a combatant soldiers in IDF , there is special battalion where they can serve all together . It's called "Bedouin recon battalion" , sence most of it's members are Bedouin (nomadic) Arabs , but there are also many Cherkes (Kavkazian Muslim people) as well as non-Bedouin Arabs Muslims and Christians alike . This is combat infantry battalion , and members of it are combat fighting soldiers who serve in Gaza sector .








Battalion sign , Unit 585

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Eating the traditional style

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Officers

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training


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And they get the chicks too !


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Many of Bedouins have excellent pathfinder skills , so they serve in IDF as a pathfinders .

[lumian yerzum]

Why former soviet union muslims?I don't get it.Why are they in Israel?

[tanks_alot]

Originally Posted by lumian yerzum

Why former soviet union muslims?I don't get it.Why are they in Israel?

I'm not aware of muslims from the former Soviet union living in Israel, but i guess that just like a certain number of christians faked ID's in order to come to Israel than the same was done in the muslim countries.

OlehBoy07, thanks for posting the pictures!

[*titanium*]

Duno about Former USSR muslims, but theres 1,100,000 former USSR jews who imigrated there.

There are many druze in the IDF, there is conscription for them, since they are anywat extremly loyale to Israel, but they are not muslim, they divereged from Islam and infact their support for Israel is due to the persecution they recived from the arabs, thats why their where Druze militia fighting the arabs along side Haganah Palmach and Jewish militia in the war of independence. Infact 1000 syrian Druze in the war desrted Syria to join Israels army.

The people you speak of tend to be Druze, and some Bedouin, but virtualy none of them are Arab muslims, for example at any one time their are around 100 arab muslim soldeires in the IDF, so of the 900,000 arab musims every year 40 sign up, thats why it is said the amount is neglagable.

[OlehBoy07]

The number of Muslims(Arab and other) serving in the IDF is considerably higher than that. Bedouin Arab Muslims are in fact Arab Muslims who live a Beoduin lifestyle. Bedouin is not an ethnicity, its a way of life.

According to the IDF Spokeswoman Miri Regev, between 600-800 Bedouin enlist every year voluntarily. Non-Bedouin Arab Muslims(Mostly from villages in the upper Galillee) account for roughly 120 enlistments a year. The CHristian Arab enlistment rate is significantly lower with around 60-80 enlistments a year. I was unable to find figures for Circassian enlistments. Circassians are Descent from people brought to Israel from the Caucasus region of what is now modern Armenia, Azerbajan and Georgia to protect Ottoman interests. They are Sunni Muslim and are very pro-Israel

Recently five soldiers were killed from the Bedouin Recon unit, but 3 out of the 5 killed were Muslim Arabs from the Galilee, not Bedouin Arabs.

A few soviet union Muslims arel iving in Israel under both refugee status and elligibility under the law of return as having atleast one jewish grandparent or marrying a jew.

[j-boy]

Originally Posted by OlehBoy07

The number of Muslims(Arab and other) serving in the IDF is considerably higher than that. Bedouin Arab Muslims are in fact Arab Muslims who live a Beoduin lifestyle. Bedouin is not an ethnicity, its a way of life.

You mean 'Arab' is an ethnicity? If that's the case, it bewilders me, since as far as I know the only common trait among all the people known as 'Arabs' in the 'Arab' world, is language, and even then, there are big differences.
There are in fact many who are often termed 'Arabs', including among others Bedouins, Berbers, Lebanese Christians, Kurds (etc.), who would no doubt object to being called 'Arabs'.
Interested in your response,

[joejd12]

Originally Posted by OlehBoy07

Many of Arabs/Muslims serve in IDF . Druze (a sect from Shia Islam) soldiers serve everywhere in IDF and Israeli police , and doing a damn good job at it . There are also Muslims from former Soviet Union who serve in different IDF units .

But for more conservative Muslim communities who wish to serve as a combatant soldiers in IDF , there is special battalion where they can serve all together . It's called "Bedouin recon battalion" , sence most of it's members are Bedouin (nomadic) Arabs , but there are also many Cherkes (Kavkazian Muslim people) as well as non-Bedouin Arabs Muslims and Christians alike . This is combat infantry battalion , and members of it are combat fighting soldiers who serve in Gaza sector .








Battalion sign , Unit 585

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Eating the traditional style

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Officers

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training


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And they get the chicks too !


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Many of Bedouins have excellent pathfinder skills , so they serve in IDF as a pathfinders .

first of all, druze are absolutely not muslim arabs in any way....

the druze believe in a religion thats a mix between jewish, christian AND muslim faiths and are only close to arabs in their traditional way of life, however, they have alwaye been very pro-israel because of the persecution they suffered for centuries by the arabs (from what i know it was mainly Syria) as someone else mentioned...

after 1967 there were even plans to establish a druze state that would seperate israel from syria (or it may have been in the sinai im not sure on the details)...

the druze are also included in the conscription....

bedouins on the other hand, are muslims and arabs in just about every way, the only thing that differentiates them from other arabs is their nomadic lifestyle...

to the best of my knowledge they are not a apart of the conscription and the only reason they serve in the idf is because at the time of israels creation the bedouin were the only arabs who wished to serve in the IDF and the idf was happy to accept them due to their exceptional navigating+tracking skills which they acquired during their nomadic life....

however, bedouin enlistment has gone down dramatically over the years, and in many villages it is now considered shameful to have served/serve in the idf, some bedouin go as far as asking the media and tzahal not to publicize their names if they die/are taken captive/wounded so as to avoid their village and friends from ostricizing them....

so bedouins are in fact the only muslims who serve in the idf, and their enlistment numbers are going down....

as for the 1 200 000 muslims who are israeli citizens, well, about 40 of them serve in "national service" (pretty much volunteering in different communities) which is the muslim equivalent to serving in the idf since they are not allowed to serve in the idf for obvious security reasons....

what a high number eh? of the thousands of muslims who graduate highschool every year, about 40 choose to do the right thing and and serve their country in the fashion they can....

and people say that muslims israelis dont love their countries, now where could they have gotten such an unbased idea i wonder?

[Asmir]

Very nice quoting skills

[Balam]

Interesting, thanks for the info. That shows that Israel is really a democracy !

[TommytheJew]

Im OlehBoy07 under a new name since I forgot the old one. There are in fact several non-Bedouin Muslim Arabs serving in the IDF. When I was there in January on Birthright I was able to meet several. They were from The Galilee and one was from Abu Gosh an Arab Israeli village outside of Jerusalem. I was very clear in asking. All answered that they were both Arabs and Muslims but all denied being Bedouin. I also met several Bedouin soldiers.

[joejd12]

Originally Posted by TommytheJew

Im OlehBoy07 under a new name since I forgot the old one. There are in fact several non-Bedouin Muslim Arabs serving in the IDF. When I was there in January on Birthright I was able to meet several. They were from The Galilee and one was from Abu Gosh an Arab Israeli village outside of Jerusalem. I was very clear in asking. All answered that they were both Arabs and Muslims but all denied being Bedouin. I also met several Bedouin soldiers.

you may be right though i highly doubt it, and even if they are in the idf theyd probably be given jobs where security isnt an issue, like being a driver or mowing the grass etc....

you went on birthright? thats nice, a lot of my friends' brothers have gone on it and most of my friends are planning on it....

[Asmir]

Originally Posted by Balam

Interesting, thanks for the info. That shows that Israel is really a democracy !

No, it does not show that at all...

Ask them how many Muslims are in Air Force, Army, Navy - you choose. And how many Arabs beside this Druze (cult) members. You can't say "hey, look at this Muslim Druze dude..."
And you can not say statement like yours after watching a few pictures

[New Ron]

Originally Posted by Asmir

No, it does not show that at all...

Ask them how many Muslims are in Air Force, Army, Navy - you choose. And how many Arabs beside this Druze (cult) members. You can't say "hey, look at this Muslim Druze dude..."
And you can not say statement like yours after watching a few pictures

The Arabs should be happy that Israel trusts a few of them atleast to be INSIDE the Israeli army. It takes just ONE Arab or muslim in the Israeli army to betray and people wil get hurt. Its risky, loyalties may sway the wrong way one day.

Israel is a real democracy, thats why they allow "arabs" and Druze in their army and police forces. Lets ask the Taliban to allow a Jew in their security forces.

[rafi]

Asmir,

I am sure english is not your first language. I think you have misused the word "cult". The Druze are not a cult. They are a people who have their own history, culture and religion.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/...ure/druze.html


They serve throughout the IDF, and that includes in the Air Force where there was much written about our first Druze pilot a few years ago. They originally had the option of opting out of IDF service and originally served as volunteers, but were eventually incorporated into the compulsory service structure. In fact they have the highest enlistment percentage in Israel. You can find them in every branch of the IDF, without exception.

http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News...8n/07/0901.htm

In 2004 I served with a Druze base commander who led an important base in the Jerusalem area. And one of the soldiers in picture ten served in reserves with me in 2002. (obviously some of the photos are older)

[panzermk2]

I have heard on more then one occasain that the Druze are actually very tough and damn good infantry.

How true is this? In all of my prior trips over there I have not thought to ask, well mostly I was ignorant of them and did not know to ask.

[HideNSeek]

Originally Posted by panzermk2

I have heard on more then one occasain that the Druze are actually very tough and damn good infantry.

How true is this? In all of my prior trips over there I have not thought to ask, well mostly I was ignorant of them and did not know to ask.

Well, the ones I met were very motivated, everything else stems from there: their toughness etc. But yes, in general they are known as being very capable. By the way, not all Druze are on the Israeli side, there are Syrian Druze (like that killer who was recently released), and even some Israeli Druze see themselves as Arab first (look at some of the "Arab" parties of Israel and you'll find them). But in general they are loyal and patriotic (at least when I was in Israel, who knows how things change).

[joejd12]

Originally Posted by panzermk2

I have heard on more then one occasain that the Druze are actually very tough and damn good infantry.

How true is this? In all of my prior trips over there I have not thought to ask, well mostly I was ignorant of them and did not know to ask.

yes, the druze are known to be tough and couragous fighters....

in fact, in later investigations conducted regarding the kidnapping of the 2 israeli soldiers which sparked the 2006 lebanon war, it was found that hezbollah actually had intel that the reservist brigade the kidnapped soldiers served in was about to be replaced by a druze brigade, which was known for its ferocity and couragesness in combat the following day so hezbollah decided to kidnapp them that night instead of on a different later date which was decided upon by them previously....

[OlehBoy07]

Originally Posted by joejd12

you may be right though i highly doubt it, and even if they are in the idf theyd probably be given jobs where security isnt an issue, like being a driver or mowing the grass etc....

you went on birthright? thats nice, a lot of my friends' brothers have gone on it and most of my friends are planning on it....

You're right. Most Abu Gosh residents serve in a search and rescue unit with the homefront command. Some do serve in combat units though. There was a recent article on ynet about a Muslim woman from the Galilee serving in unit 669,an elite IAF unit.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...527584,00.html

[Asmir]

Originally Posted by NEW RON

The Arabs should be happy that Israel trusts a few of them atleast to be INSIDE the Israeli army. It takes just ONE Arab or muslim in the Israeli army to betray and people wil get hurt. Its risky, loyalties may sway the wrong way one day.

Israel is a real democracy, thats why they allow "arabs" and Druze in their army and police forces. Lets ask the Taliban to allow a Jew in their security forces.

This is pure nazi propaganda. I would say deja vu after watching some WW2 movie and seeing your post. You are 10yrs old or you are seriously brainwashed.

It takes just ONE liberal - arab loving - Jew to betray that same army. What is the point if you have strange Arab or Jew and good Arab and Jew ?

And you ask "let's ask Taliban to allow a Jew..." ? So, you are like Taliban, difference is that you are a Jew ? Comparing Israeli people and they opinion on Muslims in IDF is NOT THE SAME like asking a Taliban's if they would like a Jew among them... OMFG!

If you are normal person you could say "let's ask Turkey, Bosnia, Albania..."

[New Ron]

Originally Posted by Asmir

This is pure nazi propaganda. I would say deja vu after watching some WW2 movie and seeing your post. You are 10yrs old or you are seriously brainwashed.

It takes just ONE liberal - arab loving - Jew to betray that same army. What is the point if you have strange Arab or Jew and good Arab and Jew ?

And you ask "let's ask Taliban to allow a Jew..." ? So, you are like Taliban, difference is that you are a Jew ? Comparing Israeli people and they opinion on Muslims in IDF is NOT THE SAME like asking a Taliban's if they would like a Jew among them... OMFG!

If you are normal person you could say "let's ask Turkey, Bosnia, Albania..."

First of all, if you are a muslim, I hope I didnt "offend you" I have many muslims friends, and I dont mind them in the security forces. If I think there is a danger, its because so called "Arab Israelis" these days have been really prooving their loyality to Israel by driving bulldozers into "their own" Israeli citizens! If you care to watch the news these past few weeks Asmir.

yes you said it Asmir Liberals are yes sometimes dangerous to the Israeli army as well! They go against their own country at times!

I said and I repeat Israel is a true democracy for allowing muslims in the their security forces, I was praising them, therefore Im not taliban like.

Bosnian Albanians, (and many Croatians) were responsable for killing Jews in WWII great choices for a "normal person" to make. Turky is responsable for the masacre of Armenians.

learn to respect the staff here Asmir, calling them 10 year olds will earn you bad points.