Jumblatt Family of Lebanon
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The Jumblatt Family (Joumblatt, Junblat, Junblatt, ...) is an influential Druze family who settled in the Lebanon mountains (coming from Syria) around the 15-16th century, fleeing persecution from the Ottoman governor.
To this day, Walid Jumblatt remains the principal leader of the Druzes (an increasingly influential religious community found in the Middle East, known for its bravery, coalition among its members, highly spiritual and philosophical orientation, and a very influential figure in Lebanese politics, and sometimes even beyond that (very close to Israeli prominent druze leaders -duality is an important factor of Druze sect). His son, Taymoor, is being prepared to follow his father's footsteps in the political scene in the future, after the assassination of the martyr Rafik Al Hariri Taymoor departed to France with his brother and sister for their safety.
His father, Kamal Jumblatt, a major political, cultural, and philosophical figure of the Middle-East, was assassinated in 1977 at the hand of Syrian agents in the Lebanese mountains. Kamal Jumblatt was a highly respected political leader, despite the fact that he descended from a Druze family, he had pictures of 2 people on his bedroom wall, Jesus and Gandhi. He was a rebelious figure despite his descent from an aristocratic family, he lived a simple life neglecting the wealth lifestyle that other political figures boasted at the time. Kamal Junblat was highly educated and open minded to the wealth of knowledge from the far east, he wrote many books, touching on very diverse subjects from philosophy, spirituality, microbiotics etc. he embraced meditation and practiced it often.
There are also many Jumblatt characters that played a very significant role in Lebanese history. Mrs. Nazira Jumblatt (mother of Kamal), a smart and capable lady, played an important role in keeping the dynasty alive, in a time when it was hard for women to play a political role. Before that, Sheikh Bashir Jumblatt was assassinated, during times of confrontation with the prince Bashir II.