Who are the Alewites of Syria?
Alawis are a sect of Shi-‘ah Islam prominent in Syria. The Alawis take their name from ‘Ali- ibn Abi- T.a-lib, cousin and son-in-law of Muh.ammad, who was the first Shi’a Imam and the 4th and last “Rightly Guided Caliph” of Sunni Islam. The origin of the Alawis is disputed. The Alawis themselves trace their origins to the eleventh Ima-m, Hassan al-‘Askari- (d. 873), and his pupil ibn Nus.ayr (d. 868). The sect seems to have been organised by a follower of Muh.ammad ibn Nus.ayr known as al-Khasibi, who died in Aleppo in about 969. Syria became independent on April 16, 1946. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Syria endured a succession of military coups. A number of disgruntled Alawi officers, including Hafez al-Assad and Salah Jadid, helped the Ba’th Party take power in 1963. In 1966, Alawi-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 Z
