Alawites

Note : The terms Alawi and Alevi although related refer to different religious groups, the latter based in Turkey . The Alawites form a Middle Eastern religious group prominent in Syria . Alawites call themselves Alawi ( ), after Ali , the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad . The term Alawi was recognized by the French when they occupied the region in 1920 . Historically they had been called Nusairis , Namiriya , or Ansariyya . Nusayri had become a term of abuse and they preferred to be called Alawis to show their reverence for Ali. To avoid confusion, this article uses the modern term.

Alawis are distinct from the Turkish-based Alevi religious sect, although the terms share similar etymologies. The Alawis have been present in modern-day Lebanon since the 16th century and are estimated to number 100,000 today, mostly in Akkar and Tripoli. Their prayer book, the source of religious instruction, is the Kitāb al-Majmu , believed to be derived from Ismā'īlī writings. Alawis study the Qur'ān and recognize the five pillars of Islam, which they interpret in a wholly allegorical sense to fit community tenets. In their mountainous corner of Syria, the 'Alawī claim to represent the furthest extension of Twelver Shi'ism. But not in the way the Americans imagined" . But outside Iraq, Arab leaders are talking of a Shia "Crescent" that will run from Iran through Iraq to Lebanon via Syria, whose Alawi leadership forms a branch of Shia Islam.

The Alawites , also known as Alawis ( ʿAlawīyyah ), are a religious group, centred in Syria , who follow a branch of the Twelver school of Shia Islam but with syncretistic elements. Alawites revere Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), and the name "Alawi" means followers of Ali. The sect is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century. Today, Alawites represent 12 percent of the Syrian population and are a significant minority in Turkey and northern Lebanon. There is also a population living in the village of Ghajar in the occupied Golan Heights . They are often confused with the Alevis of Turkey. Alawites form the dominant religious group on the Syrian coast and towns near the coast which are also inhabited by Sunnis , Christians , and Ismailis . Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites, so rumours about them have arisen. Arabic accounts of their beliefs tend to be partisan (either positively or negatively). However, since the early 2000s, Western scholarship on the Alawite religion has made significant advances. At the core of Alawite belief is a divine triad, comprising three aspects of the one God. These aspects or emanations appear cyclically in human form throughout history. The last emanations of the divine triad, according to Alawite belief, were as Ali, Muhammad and Salman the Persian . Alawites were historically persecuted for these beliefs by the Sunni Muslim rulers of the area. The establishment of the French Mandate of Syria marked a turning point in Alawi history. It gave the French the power to recruit Syrian civilians into their armed forces for an indefinite period and created exclusive areas for minorities, including an Alawite State . The Alawite State was later dismantled, but the Alawites continued to be a significant part of the Syrian army. Since Hafez al-Assad took power in 1970, the government has been dominated by a political elite led by the Alawite Al-Assad family . During the Islamic uprising in Syria in the 1970s and 1980s the establishment came under pressure, and the conflict continues as part of the Syrian civil war . The Alawis have been present in modern-day Lebanon since the 16th century and are estimated to number 100,000 today, mostly in Akkar and Tripoli. The sect is managed through the Islamic Alawi Union, a council of 600 members that are elected every four years. Arab-Australians today: citizenship and belonging (Paperback ed.).

Islamic sect centred in Syria For the mainly Turkish Shia religious group, see Alevism . The Alawis , or Alawites ( Alawīyah ), are a sect of Shia Islam primarily centred in Syria . The Alawites revere Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), considered the first Imam of the Twelver school . The group is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century and fully established as a religion. Another name, Ansari ( Anṣārīyah ), is believed to be a mistransliteration of "Nusayri". According to Mehrdad Izady surveys suggest, Alawites represent 17.2 percent of the Syrian population , an increase from 11.8 percent in 2010 and are a significant minority in the Hatay Province of Turkey and northern Lebanon . There is also a population living in the village of Ghajar in the Golan Heights . Alawites form the dominant religious group on the Syrian coast and towns near the coast which are also inhabited by Sunnis , Christians , and Ismailis . They are often confused with the Alevis of Turkey. Alawites identify as a separate ethnoreligious group. The Quran is only one of their holy books and texts, and their interpretation thereof has very little in common with the Shia Muslim interpretation but in accordance with the early Batiniyya and other Muslim ghulat sects. Alawite theology and rituals break from mainstream Shia Islam in several remarkable ways. Finally, they also believe in reincarnation . Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites, so rumours about them have arisen. Arabic accounts of their beliefs tend to be partisan (either positively or negatively). However, since the early 2000s, Western scholarship on the Alawite religion has made significant advances. At the core of Alawite belief is a divine triad, comprising three aspects of the one God. These aspects, or emanations , appear cyclically in human form throughout history. The establishment of the French Mandate of Syria marked a turning point in Alawi history. It gave the French the power to recruit Syrian civilians into their armed forces for an indefinite period and created exclusive areas for minorities, including an Alawite State . The Alawite State was later dismantled, but the Alawites continued to be a significant part of the Syrian Armed Forces . Since Hafez al-Assad took power through the 1970 Corrective Movement , the government has been dominated by a political elite led by the Alawite Al-Assad family . During the Islamist uprising in Syria in the 1970s and 1980s, the establishment came under pressure. Even greater pressure has resulted from the Syrian Civil War . The Handbook of Bilingualism (illustrated, reprint ed.). "Mitgliederzahlen: Islam" , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst|Religionswissenschaftliche Medien- und Informationsdienst e. Arab-Australians today: citizenship and belonging (Paperback ed.). Journey to the End of Islam .

Ethnoreligious group centered in the Levant For the religion which the Alawites follow, see Alawism . Alawites ( Arabic : العلويون , romanized : al-ʿAlawiyyūn ) are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism , an offshoot of Shia Islam as a ghulat branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ibn Abi Talib , the " first Imam " in the Twelver school, as a manifestation of the divine essence. It is the only ghulat sect still in existence today. The group was founded during the ninth century by Ibn Nusayr , who was a disciple of the tenth Twelver Imam, Ali al-Hadi , and of the eleventh Twelver Imam, Hasan al-Askari . Surveys suggest Alawites represent an important portion of the Syrian population and are a significant minority in the Hatay Province of Turkey and northern Lebanon . There is also a population living in the village of Ghajar in the Golan Heights , where there had been two other Alawite villages ( Ayn Fit and Za'ura ) before the Six-Day War . The Alawites form the dominant religious group on the Syrian coast and towns near the coast, which are also inhabited by Sunnis , Christians , and Ismailis . They are often confused with the Alevis , a religious group in Turkey that shares certain similarities with the Alawites but has key differences. The Quran is one of their holy books, but its interpretation differs significantly from Shia Muslim interpretations and aligns with early Batiniyya and other ghulat sects. Alawite theology and rituals differ sharply from Shia Islam in several important ways. As a creed that teaches the symbolic/esoteric reading of Qur'anic verses , Alawite theology is based on the belief in reincarnation and views Ali as a divine incarnation of God. Moreover, Alawite clergy and scholarships insist that their religion is theologically distinct from Shi'ism . Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites, so rumours about them have arisen. Arabic accounts of their beliefs tend to be partisan (either positively or negatively). However, since the early 2000s, Western scholarship on the Alawite religion has made significant advances. At the core of the Alawite creed is the belief in a divine Trinity, comprising three aspects of the one God. The aspects of the Trinity are Mana (meaning), Ism (Name) and Bab (Door). Alawite beliefs hold that these emanations underwent re-incarnation cyclically seven times in human form throughout history. According to Alawites, the seventh incarnation of the trinity consists of Ali ibn Abi Talib , Muhammad and Salman al-Farisi . Alawites, considered disbelievers by classical Sunni and Shi'ite theologians, faced periods of subjugation or persecution under various Muslim empires such as the Ottomans, Abbasids, Mamluks, and others. The establishment of the French Mandate of Syria in 1920 marked a turning point in Alawite history. Until then, the community had commonly self-identified as "Nusayris", emphasizing their connections to Ibn Nusayr . The French administration prescribed the label "Alawite" to categorise the sect alongside Shiism in official documents. The French recruited a large number of minorities into their armed forces and created exclusive areas for minorities, including the Alawite State . The Alawite State was later dismantled, but the Alawites continued to play a significant role in the Syrian military and later in the Ba'ath Party . After Hafez al-Assad 's seizure of power during the 1970 coup , the Ba'athist state enforced Assadist ideology amongst Alawites to supplant their traditional identity. During the Syrian revolution , communal tensions were further exacerbated as the country destabilized into a full-scale sectarian civil war. "Mitgliederzahlen: Islam" , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst|Religionswissenschaftliche Medien- und Informationsdienst e. Arab-Australians today: citizenship and belonging (Paperback ed.). The Arab Winter: A Tragedy . The Alawis are a sect of extremist ( ghuluw ) Shiism, so called because of their doctrine of the deification of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the nephew of the prophet Muhammad. The movement was founded in the mid-ninth century by Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Namiri, who also proclaimed that the 10th of the 12 Shiite imams, Ali ibn Hadi, possessed a divine nature. Alawi doctrine is secret, esoteric, and Gnostic in nature. Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective . The Ohio State University . The Arab Winter: A Tragedy . Minorities in the Middle East (2nd ed.). Greek or gnostic conceptions of the divinity intersperse with human incarnation as a key element in its theology. Alawi doctrine is secret, esoteric, and Gnostic in nature. They believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib is the supreme eternal God... A major difference between the Shia and the Alawi, however, is that the latter worship Ali as a manifestation of the divine essence and believe in the reincarnation and transmigration of souls. On Alawism-Nusayrism in general, see Bar-Asher 2003 ; Bar-Asher & Kofsky 2002 ; Friedman 2010 . The Plain of Saints and Prophets: The Nusayri-Alawi Community of Cilicia (Southern Turkey) and Its Sacred Places . Journey to the End of Islam . Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate . Saudi Clerics and Shī'a Islam . Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects (1st ed.). The state – even "Assadism" – supplanted the Alawite religion as the focus of their identity...To be accepted as leader, Assad had to persuade Sunnis and Alawites alike that Alawites were, in fact, mainstream Muslims... Alawites struck a bargain; they lost their independence and had to accept the myth that they were "good Muslims".. Assadism then filled the gap left by the negation of traditional Alawite identity. The loss of the traditional role of community leaders fragmented Alawites, preventing them from establishing unified positions and from engaging as a community with other Syrian sects – reinforcing sectarian fears and distrust. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).