‘Alawi

For the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco see: Alaouite Dynasty, for the former state now in Yemen see Alawi (sheikhdom)

‘Alawī
‘Alawī falconer in Banyas, Syria, during World War II.
Total population
More than 3 million
Founder
Ibn Nuṣayr
Regions with significant populations
Syria About 2.5 million  Lebanon An estimated 100.000[1]  Turkey Tens of thousands, in regions that were formerly part of Syria Israel About 2000 live in Ghajar, a village in the Golan Heights[2]  Australia There is a considerable ‘Alawī community in Australia, but the exact number is unclear
Religions
Shia Islam
Scriptures
Qur'an, Kitab al Majmu[3]
Languages
Arabic, Turkish

The ‘Alawī (Arabic: علوية‎‘Alawīyyah) — also known as Nuṣayrī (Arabic: نصيريون‎), an-Naṣīriyyah, and al-Anṣāriyyah, or in English as Alawites — are a sect of Shī‘ah Islam^[4][5] prominent in Syria. ‘Alawī is not to be confused with Alevi, a different religious sect based in Turkey, although they share the same etymology, and may share a common origin.

The ‘Alawī take their name from ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, cousin and son-in-law of Muḥammad,^[6] also the 4^th and last "Rightly Guided Caliph" of Islam.

History

’Alawī women in Syria, early 20th century

The origin of the ‘Alawīs is disputed. The ‘Alawīs themselves trace their origins to the eleventh Imām, Hassan al-‘Askarī (d. 873), and his pupil ibn Nuṣayr (d. 868).^[7]

The sect seems to have been organised by a follower of Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr known as al-Khasibi, who died in Aleppo in about 969. Al-Khasibi's grandson, al-Tabarani, moved to Latakia on the Syrian coast. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Syria and Lebanon came under French mandate. The French recognized the term "‘Alawī" when they occupied Syria in 1920. The French gave autonomy to the ‘Alawī and other minority groups and accepted them into their colonial troops.^[8] Under the mandate, many ‘Alawī chieftains supported the notion of a separate ‘Alawī nation and tried to convert their autonomy into independence. A territory of "Alaouites" was created in 1925. In May 1930, the Government of Latakia was created; it lasted until February 28, 1937, when it was incorporated into Syria.

Flag of the ‘Alawī State

In 1939, a portion of northwest Syria, the Sanjak of Alexandretta, now Hatay, that contained a large number of ‘Alawī, was given to Turkey by the French, greatly angering the ‘Alawī community and Syrians in general. Zaki al-Arsuzi, the young ‘Alawī leader from Antioch in Iskandarun (later renamed Hatay by the Turks) who led the resistance to the annexation of his province to the Turks, later became a founder of the Ba'ath Party along with the Eastern Orthodox Christian schoolteacher Michel Aflaq. After World War II, Salman Al Murshid played a major role in uniting the ‘Alawī province with Syria. He was executed by the newly independent Syrian government in Damascus on December 12, 1946 only three days after a hasty political trial.

Syria became independent on April 16, 1946. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Syria endured a succession of military coups in 1949, the rise of the Ba'th Party, and unification of the country with Egypt in the United Arab Republic in 1958. The UAR lasted for three years and broke apart in 1961 , when a group of army officers seized power and declared Syria independent again; a further succession of coups ensued until a secretive military committee, which included a number of disgruntled ‘Alawī officers, including Hafez al-Assad and Salah Jadid, helped the Ba'th Party take power in 1963. In 1966, ‘Alawī-oriented military officers successfully rebelled and expelled the old Ba'ath that had looked to the Christian Michel Aflaq and the Sunni Muslim Salah al-Din al-Bitar for leadership. They promoted Zaki al-Arsuzi as the "Socrates" of their reconstituted Ba'ath Party.

The Assad family

In 1970, then-Air Force Colonel Hafez al-Assad took power and instigated a "Correctionist Movement" in the Ba'ath Party.^[9] In 1971, al-Assad became president of Syria, a function that the Constitution only allows a Muslim to embrace. Then, in 1974, Imam Musa Sadr, leader of the Twelver Shi'ites of Lebanon and founder of the Amal Movement, proclaimed that '‘Alawīs are the brothers of the Shi'ites.^[10] Under the dictatorial but secular Assad regime, religious minorities were tolerated, political dissent was not.

After the death of Hafez al-Assad in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad maintained the outlines of his father's regime. Although the '‘Alawīs predominate among the top military and intelligence offices, the civilian government and national economy is largely led by Sunnis, who represent about 70% of Syria's population. The Assad regime is careful to allow all of the religious sects a share of power and influence in the government. Today the '‘Alawīs exist as a minority but politically powerful sect in Syria.

Beliefs of the ‘Alawīs

’Alawīs celebrating a festival in Banyas, Syria, during World War II

Theologically, modern '‘Alawīs claim to be Twelver Shi'ites,^[11] but traditionally they have been designated as "extremists" (Arabic: غلاة‎ ghulat) and outside the bounds of Islam by the Muslim mainstream for their high level of devotion to ‘Alī.^[12]

The ‘Alawī faith is a somewhat esoteric version of Shī‘a Islam.^[13] The ‘Alawī believe ‘Alī is the true successor of Muhammad as well as in an esoteric reading of the Qur'an.

The ‘Alawī do not accept converts or openly publish their texts, which are passed down from scholar to scholar. The vast majority of the ‘Alawī (the Ammah) know little about the contents of their sacred texts or theology, which are guarded by a small class of male initiates (the Khassah).^[14] For initiation, a person must be at least 15 and cannot be a non-’Alawī.^[15]

Although the ‘Alawī recognize the five pillars of Islam, they do not believe that anyone has the privilege of practicing them because they are too pure to be performed by "any" soul. The ‘Alawī believe that there is no back door entrance to the gates of Heaven (i.e. follow the five pillars and you receive the keys to heaven). Instead they believe that one should devote his life the way that the prophet Muhammad would have permitted by following the example of ‘Alī.

Population

‘Alawī man in Latakia, early 20th century

Traditionally ‘Alawīs live in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast of Syria; Latakia and Tartous are the region's principal cities. ‘Alawī are also concentrated in the plains around Hama and Homs. Today, the ‘Alawī also live in all major cities of Syria. They were never estimated at more than 20% of the Syrian population (which would be about 3 million people if true today). Imami Twelver Shī‘a comprise an additional 10% of the population.

Before 1953, they had reserved seats in the Syrian Parliament, like all other religious communities. After that, including for the 1960 census, there were only general Muslim and Christian categories, without mention of subgroups in order to reduce "communalism" (taïfiyya).

There are an estimated 100,000^[16] ‘Alawī who live in Lebanon, where the Taif Agreement of 1989 gave them two reserved seats in the Parliament due to the efforts of their leader Ali Eid (The ‘Alawī are recognized as one of the 18 official Lebanese sects). They live mostly in Tripoli and small villages in Akkar.

There are 2 milion ’Alawīs who live in the Hatay, Adana and Mersin provinces of Southern Turkey.

There are also about 2000 ‘Alawī living in the village of Ghajar, split between Lebanon and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, alongside Druze.

References

1. ↑ "Tharwa Project". "The ‘Alawī 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 ‘Alawī Union, a council of 600 members that are elected every four years."
2. ↑ "CIA - The World Factbook - Syria".
3. ↑ "Alawi Islam". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-31. "Their prayer book, the source of religious instruction, is the Kitāb al-Majmu‘, believed to be derived from Ismā‘īlī writings. ‘Alawīs study the Qur'ān and recognize the five pillars of Islam, which they interpret in a wholly allegorical sense to fit community tenets."
4. ↑ Kramer, Martin. "Syria’s '‘Alawis and Shi‘ism". "In their mountainous corner of Syria, the ‘Alawī claim to represent the furthest extension of Twelver Shi'ism."
5. ↑ Fisk, Robert. "This election will change the world. But not in the way the Americans imagined.". The Independent UK. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. "But outside Iraq, Arab leaders are talking of a Shia "Crescent" that will run from Iran through Iraq to Lebanon via Syria, whose ‘Alawī leadership forms a branch of Shia Islam."
6. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com. "The term "‘Alawī" means "follower of Ali," the martyred son-in-law of Mohammed who is venerated by millions of Shi'ites in Iran and elsewhere."
7. ↑ "Alawi Islam in the 11^th Encyclopædia Brittanica" (1911). "Among the more possible explanations is that the name is derived from that of Muhommed ibn Nusair, who was an Isma'ilite follower of the eleventh imam of the Shiites at the end of the 9^th century. This view has been accepted by Nosairi writers, but they transfer Ibn Nusair to the 7^th century and make him the son of the vizier of Moawiya I."
8. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com.
9. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com. "But the coup of 1970, which brought an ‘Alawī air force officer, Hafez al-Assad, to power, was what finally ended the instability that had reigned in Syria since the advent of independence."
10. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com. "Today, those Muslims called s’Alawīs are brothers of those Shi'ites called Mutawallis by the malicious."
11. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com. "In their mountainous corner of Syria, the '‘Alawīs claim to represent the furthest extension of Twelver Shi'ism."
12. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com.
13. ↑ "All About the ‘Alawis".
14. ↑ Kaplan, Robert (1993-02). "Syria: Identity Crisis". TheAtlantic.com.
15. ↑ "Alawi Islam in the 11^th Encyclopædia Brittanica" (1911). "Religion is restricted among the Nosairis to the initiated, who must be adults over fifteen years of age and of Nosairi parentage."
16. ↑ TDS - Lebanese ‘Alawī welcome Syria's withdrawal as 'necessary' | The Tharwa project

See also

• Neo-Platonism
• Druze

External links

• Islamic Education in Syria by Joshua Landis
• Nosairi
• T. E. Lawrence on Syrians, including Nosaris/’Alawīs
• Ibn Taymiyya's Fatwa against the Nosairi A .pdf file
• Nusayri