Alawites

Alawites
ʿAlawīyyah
علوية

Zulfiqar, a stylised representation of the sword of Ali, is an important symbol for Alawites
Total population
600,000 (2002 estimate)
Founder
Ibn Nuṣayr and Al-Khaṣībī
Regions with significant populations
Syria	≈1.5-
Turkey	≈500,000-1 million
Lebanon	≈180,000-200,000
Lebanon/Golan Heights	3,900 live in Ghajar
Australia	2% of Lebanese-born people in Australia
Religions
Alawite Twelver Shia Islam
Scriptures
Quran, List of Shia books, Kitab al Majmu
Languages
Arabic, Turkish

The Alawites, also known as Alawis (ʿAlawīyyah Arabic: علوية‎‎), are part of a branch of Islam, Alawi Islam, centered in Syria, who follow 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 (they are generally considered Ghulat).

The sect is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century. For this reason, Alawites are sometimes called "Nusayris" (Nuṣayrīyyah Arabic: نصيرية‎‎), though this term has come to have derogatory connotations in the modern era; another name, "Ansari" (al-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. 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.