Alawites

Alawis علوية

Tot population
2.7 million
Foonder
Ibn Nuṣayr
Regions wi signeeficant populations
Sirie	2.1 million
Turkey	About 450000
Lebanon	An estimatit 100,000-120,000
Lebanon/Golan Hichts	2,100 live in Ghajar
Australie	Alawites comprise 2% o Lebanese born fowk in Australie
Releegions
Shia Islam
Scripturs
Qur'an, Nahj al-Balagha, Kitab al Majmu
Leids
Arabic, Turkis

The Alawis, an aa kent as Alawites, Nusayris an Ansaris (‘Alawīyyah Arabic: علوية‎, Nuṣayrī Arabic: نصيريون‎, an al-Anṣāriyyah) are a prominent meestical an syncretic releegious group centred in Sirie who are a branch o Shia Islam.

Etymology

Zulfiqar, a stylized representation o the sword o Ali, is an important seembol for Alawis

The Alawis tak their name frae ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib cousin and son-in-law of Muḥammad, who was the first Shi'a Imam and the fowert an last "Richtly Guidit Caliph" o Sunni Islam.

Till fairly recently Alawis wur referred tae as "Nusairis", named efter Abu Shu'ayb Muhammad ibn Nusayr (d. ca 270 h, 863 AD) who is reportit tae hae attendit the circles o the last three Imams o the prophet Muhammad's line. This name is considered derogatory, an they refer tae thairsels as Alawis. In September 1920, French occupational forces institutit the policy o referrin tae them bi the term "'Alawi".

In aulder sources they are aften referred tae as Ansaris, as this is hou they referred tae thairsels, accordin tae the Reverend Samuel Lyde, who lived amang Alawis in the mid-19t century. Anither source states that "Ansari", as referrin tae Alawites, is simply a Wastren mistransliteration o Nosairi.

Alawis are destinct frae the Turkis-based Alevi releegious sect, although the terms share similar etymologies.

Population

Map showin the current distribution o Alawites in the Levant.

Sirie

Traditionally Alawis hae livit in the An-Nusayriyah mountains alang the Mediterranean coast o Sirie. Latakia an Tartus are the region's principal ceeties. The day Alawis are concentratit in the plains aroond Hama an Homs an aw. Alawis live in aw major ceeties o Sirie an aw. They hae been estimatit tae constitute aboot 11-12% o Sirie's population- 2.1 million people.

There are fower Alawi confederations – Kalbiyah, Khaiyatin, Haddadin, an Matawirah – each dividit intae tribes. Alawis are concentratit in the Latakia region o Sirie, extendin north tae Antioch (Antakya), Turkey, an in an aroond Homs an Hama.

Afore 1953 they held reservit seats in the Sirie Parliament, like aw ither releegious 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 aboot 2000 Alawis livin in the veelage o Ghajar, split atween Lebanon an the Golan Hichts an aw. In 1932, the residents o Ghajar wur given the option o chuisin their naitionality an owerwhelmingly chose tae be a pairt o Sirie, which haes a sizable Alawite minority. Prior tae the Sax-Day War, the residents o Ghajar wur coontit in the 1960 Sirie census. When Israel captured the Golan Hichts frae Sirie in 1967, Ghajar remained a nae-man's land for twa an a hauf months.

Lebanon

Relatit page: Shi'a Islam in Lebanon

Alawite mosque in Jabal Mohsen, Lebanon

There are an estimatit 40,000 tae 120,000 Alawis in Lebanon, where they hae livit syne at least the 16t century. They are recognizit as ane o the 18 offeecial Lebanese sects, an due tae the efforts o their leader Ali Eid, the Taif Greement o 1989 gave them twa reservit seats in the Parliament. Lebanese Alawis live maistly in the Jabal Mohsen neeebourheid of Tripoli, an in 15 veelages in the Akkar Destrict , an are mainly representit bi the Arab Democratic Pairty. Bab al-Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen clashes atween pro-Sirie Alawites an anti-Syrian Sunnis have haunted Tripoli for decades.

Turkey

In order tae avoid confusion wi Alevis, they prefer the sel-appellation Arap Alevileri ("Arab Alevis") in Turkis. The term Nusayrī, which uised tae exist in (aften polemical) theological texts is revivit in recent studies an aw. In Çukurova, they are namit as Fellah an Arabuşağı, the latter considered heichlie offensive bi Alawis, bi the Sunni population. A quasi-offeecial name uised pairticularly in 1930s bi Turkis authorities wis Eti Türkleri ("Hittite Turks"), in order tae conceal their Arab oreegins. The day, this term is amaist obsolete but it is still uised bi some fowk o aulder generations as a euphemism.

The exact number o Alawis in Turkey is unkent, but there wur 185 000 in 1970 (this number suggest ca 400 000 in 2009). As Muslims, they are no recordit separately frae Sunnis in ID registration. In the 1965 census (the last Turkis census whaur informants wur asked their mither tongue), 180,000 fowk in the three provinces declared their mither tongue as Arabic. Housomeivver, Arabic-speakin Sunni an Christian fowk are includit in this figur an aw.

Alawis traditionally speak the same dialect of Levantine Arabic wi Sirie Alawis. Arabic is best preserved in rural communities and Samandağ. Younger people in Çukurova ceeties an (tae a lesser extent) in İskenderun tend tae speak Turkis. Turkis spoken bi Alawis is distinguished bi Alawi an nan-Alawi alike wi its pairticular accents an vocabulary. Knowledge o Arabic alphabet is confined tae releegious leaders an men who haed worked or studiet in Arab kintras.

Alawis show a considerable pattern o social mobility. Till 1960s, they uised tae wirk bund tae Sunni aghas aroond Antakya an they wur amang the poorest fowk in Çukurova. The day, Alawis are prominent in economic sectors such as transportation an commerce. A lairge professional middle-class haed emergit an aw.

In recent years, there haes been a tendency o exogamy, pairticularly amang males who haed attendit universities an/or haed livit in ither pairts o Turkey. These marriages are heichlie toleratit but exogamy o weemen, as in ither patrilineal groups, is uisually disfavoured.

Alawis, like Alevis, mainly hae strang leftist poleetical preferences. Housomeivver, some people in rural auries (uisually members o notable Alawi families) mey be foond supportin secularist conservative pairties such as True Path Pairty. Maist Alawis feel discriminatit bi the policies o Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı.

See an aw

• Al-Khaṣībī, foonder o the sect

References

Notes

Freemit airtins

• بيان عقيدة العلويين