Alawites - Wikipedia
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.
Alawite | Definition, Sect, Syria, & Assad Dynasty | Britannica
Jan 9, 2025 · An Alawite is any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there.
In Syria, a once-privileged Muslim sect is now targeted and afraid
Jan 6, 2025 · Alawites in Syria are facing a violent backlash, stoking fears of wider sectarian instability in a divided Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
Alawites formed Syria’s elite. Now they are terrified - The Economist
Jan 8, 2025 · Alawites make up about 10% of Syria’s population but predominated in his regime and that of his father, Hafez. Alawites filled the ranks of the army and security forces. They were part of the ...
'Syrian above all': The Alawite community refuses to pay for …
2 days ago · The Alawites have been "in the grip of an anxiety crisis since December 8 (the date marking the fall of Assad's regime)," he continued, rejecting the term "minority". “We need a government that ...
Alawites Under Threat in Syria? | The Washington Institute
Dec 31, 2024 · Alawites were used to carry out regime campaigns of oppression, including the 1982 Hama massacre in which Assad targeted an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving 30,000 dead. Hafiz’s son Bashar continued this strategy for years, then made the Alawites the pillar of his counterinsurgency policy after 2011. In response to this long ...
The Difference Between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria - ThoughtCo
Jul 30, 2019 · Alawites are not to be confused with Alevis, a Turkish Muslim minority. A majority of Syrians belong to Sunni Islam, as do almost 90% of all Muslims in the world. Historical Alawite heartlands lie in the mountainous hinterland of Syria’s Mediterranean coast in the country’s west, next to the coastal city of Latakia.
Bashar al-Assad Exploited Alawites’ Fear - The Atlantic
Dec 20, 2024 · For many Alawites, the fear of staying with Assad at last outweighed the fear of leaving him. When the battle of 2024 began, Alawite soldiers fled their positions with a speed that shocked even ...
The 'secretive sect' in charge of Syria - BBC News
May 17, 2012 · The Alawites, a small Levantine minority, have survived persecution and the Crusades to rise to the top and take over the Syrian establishment. Alawite practices, which are said to include...
The challenge facing Syria's Alawites - The Week
12 hours ago · The feeling is a new one for the Alawites, a group that was powerful and influential during the dictator's rule. Deep anxiety The Alawites are a minority esoteric sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.