The Alawites of Syria
The Alawites number about 1.4 million. They are the largest religious minority of Syria, and significant because the late President of Syria since 1971, Hassef Al Assad, was an Alawite. He died on June 10, 2000 and his son, Bashar has taken his place as President of the country of Syria.
History. The Alawites origin and history is a mystery. They are believed to be descendants of people who lived in the time of Alexander the Great. They have always been an isolated people and keep their true religious beliefs secret, which have many contradictions to true Islamic teaching. Their religion has evolved and adapted to the peoples who influenced them in history, from the Phoenicians to the Greeks to the Christians to the Muslims. They are neither Arabs nor true Muslims. Their geographic location has been called an Alawite province for 8 centuries. They have been distrusted as a people throughout history and are today resented because they are rural with strange beliefs, yet have much control in Syria because of the President's regime and bureaucracy of Alawite leaders.
Location. The Alawites are also known as Nusayris because of their concentration in the Nusayriyah Mountains in northwestern Syria. They are located mostly in these mountains, a range of them that parallels the coast behind the port and coastal plain of the city of Latakia. They comprise two thirds of the population of this region.
Language. Alawites speak Arabic but have a different accent and some differences in pronunciation from the Syrian majority of Sunnis. For example, in Syrian colloquial Arabic, the hard "k" sound (made from the back of the throat) is completely omitted when at the beginning of most words; the Alawites, however; do pronounce the initial "k" sound in those words.
Identity. Their name, Alawites, is derived from their belief that Ali, Mohammad's son-in-law, is the incarnation of the deity. In this sense Ali to them is like Christ is to the Christian. An Alawi prays similar to, but heretical to, Islam: "I testify that there is no God but Ali."
Religion. The Alawite religion is the very trait that makes them so distinct. They call themselves Muslim and without a doubt want to be regarded as such. However; most Sunni Muslims do not regard the Alawites as followers of Islam; Alawites study the Quran and recognize the five pillars of Islam. The political leaders in particular take care to observe feasts, participate in public prayers, and behave, outwardly at least, like Muslims. However, the Alawite religion is really a syncretism of the religions that passed through their region through the centuries. They have their own prayer hook, the Kitab al Majmu, which is the source of religious instruction. This instruction is only given to an elect few after a lengthy initiation.
They believe that all persons were at first stars in the world of light, but fell because of disobedience. They must be transformed seven times before returning to take a place among the stars, where Ali (son-in-law of Mohammad) is the prince. They can be reborn as Christians if they live a life without blame and will wait with these Christians until atoned. Those who are not faithful to the tenets of the religion are reborn as animals. There is not a particular place set aside for worship, and only men take part in it.
Overall it is important to understand that Alawites do not discuss the tenets of their faith with outsiders. When asked, they will call themselves Muslims. Many Alawite peoples probably do not even know what the true Alawite beliefs are. The Alawites of the twenty-first century are more of a political group than a religious group. This makes things all the more complicated to reach them.