Muwaffaq Tarif
Muwaffaq Tarif (born 1963) is a Druzite religious leader and the main qadi of the Druze in Israel.
Biography
Tarif was born in 1963 in the city of Julis. Since 1753, his family has been leading the Druze community in Ottoman Syria, Mandatory Palestine, then Israel. In 1993, he inherited the position of spiritual leader upon the death of his grandfather, Amin Tarif.
He is a graduate of the Higher School for Druze Religious Studies in Khalwat al-Bayada, Lebanon. He also graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Ono Academic College, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa in 2010.
In January 2004, Tarif signed a declaration calling on non-Jews living in Israel to observe the Noahide Laws. He was joined by the mayor of Shefa-'Amr. In April 2018, he was selected by the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies to light a torch at the torch-lighting ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
In January 2025, he met with U.S. officials, including Senator Ted Cruz, to secure U.S. protection for the Druze community in Syria under the new Islamic rule after the fall of the Assad regime.
In May 2025, after the massacres against the Syrian Druze, Tarif urged Israel and international community to intervene.