The 'Alawis - PowerPoint Presentation Example

The Alawis community has survived in Syria as an individual group in spite of repeated threats and massacre by Sunni rulers who did not consider them as a separate religious group. Next to north western mountain ranges, Alawis are also settled in Latakiah province in Syria. Some nearby districts populated with this community involve Southern Turkey and northern Lebanon. When we look into recent years, we can observe that this community has moved to urban areas of Syria. Alawis belong to that Shia group which is considered the extreme sect.

When we look into the history of Alawis community, we can clearly observe that they were always persecuted by Sunnis while living in Syria. This was the main reason why this community always preferred to live in mountainous areas as these areas prove to be a save heaven for Alawis. Abu Shu’ayb Muhammad ibn Nusayr (died in 874 AD) was the founder of Alawis community. He started his teachings from Iraq and Persia and finally bought to Syrian land by Al- Khasibi. This was the land where Alawis took their roots and survived with the passage of time.

At the end of tenth century, Arabs conquest Syria where Alawis showed extreme hatred and resentment against Arab domination. This was the time when they joined hands with extreme Shia sect as revenge against Arab supremacy. Moreover, they also turned Islamic ideas and teachings into their own mold. Here it is essential to note that Alawis teachings always focused on the superiority of Persia as most of the prominent leaders and writers of this community had roots in Persia. A respectable name among Alawis leaders in the late tenth century was Khasibi who settled at Latakia, a province of Syria.

From that time, this province became the centre of this communal group. Alawis again faced great deterioration and massacre by Sunnis during the first Crusades (1096-1099) after their favors for Franks. As