The Druze follow a life style of isolation in which no conversion is allowed, neither out of, or into, the religion. When Druze live among people of other religions, they try to blend in, in order to protect their religion and their own safety. They can perform prayer as Muslims, or as Christians, depending on where they are.
This system is apparently changing in modern times, where more security has allowed Druze to be more open about their religious identity.
Druze have earlier been reported to practice polygamy. But there is no evidence of such a practice among Druze today.
Druze abstain from wine and tobacco. There are clear prohibitions against a number of other acts, too.
Druze have a strong community feeling, in which they identify themselves as related even across borders of countries.
There are sources suggesting that the Druze had their own identity even before conversion to the faith in al-Hakim. Unsubstantiated theories point in a direction of the Druze being descendants of Persian colonists, while another theory says they are descendants of Christians from the time of the crusades. The latter is not very likely, due to the fact that the first crusade took place 80 years after al-Hakim's disappearance.
Despite their practice of blending with dominant groups in order to avoid persecution, the Druze have had a history of brave resistance to occupying powers, and they have at times enjoyed more freedom than most other groups living in the Levant.