Alaouites
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,600,000 (2002 estimate) | |
| Founder | |
| Ibn Nuṣayr and Al-Khaṣībī | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Syria
|
≈1.5-3 million |
 Turkey
|
≈500,000-1 million |
 Lebanon
|
≈180,000-200,000 |
 Germany
|
≈70,000 |
| Lebanon/Golan Heights | 3,900 live in Ghajar |
 Australia
|
2% of Lebanese-born people in Australia |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Turkish | |
The Alawis, also rendered as Alawites (Arabic: علوية Alawīyyah), are a syncretic sect of the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, primarily centered in Syria. The eponymously named Alawites revere Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), considered the first Imam of the Twelver school. However, they are generally considered to be Ghulat by most other sects of Shia Islam. The sect is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century, and fully established as a religion For this reason, Alawites are sometimes called Nusayris (Arabic: نصيرية Nuṣayrīyyah), though the term has come to be used as a pejorative in the modern era. Another name, "Ansari" (Arabic: انصارية Anṣāriyyah), is believed to be a mistransliteration of "Nusayri". Today, Alawites represent 11 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 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.
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Wikipedia