The Alevīs and ʿAlawīs

Abstract

Many confuse the Alevīs of Turkey with the ʿAlawīs of Syria, regarding them as one and the same because their names are similar. In both cases, the name indicates a loyalty to, or descent from, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the cousin and son-inlaw of the Prophet Muḥammad and a figure who is venerated by both groups and especially so in Shīʿa Islam. However, close examination of the two groups indicates that, despite some small similarities in their religious doctrines and practices, the differences between the two are far greater. Although the ʿAlawīs constitute just a small percentage of the Syrian population (about twelve percent), they are the only minority that rules over a Sunnī-majority population; they are the ‘rulers’ of Syria, since the president of the state (from 1971 CE until today 2020 CE)1 is of an ʿAlawī origin. The term ʿAlawī’ became prevalent only in the early-twentieth century; up until then, they were known to most as the Nuṣayrīs. Since the thirteenth century, most of the group has inhabited the mountain region Jabal al-Nuṣayriyya (‘the Nuṣayriyya Mountain’ which is named after the group) in Northwest Syria, as well as the Hatay region in South Turkey. Today, however, followers can be found across many parts of Syria (Zisser 1999: 130). Some sources consider the ʿAlawīs to be a sect, a stance taken in accordance with Shīʿite doctrine. Although there are some likenesses between the ʿAlawīs and Twelver Shīʿite Islam, such as their mutual reverence for ʿAlī and the twelve imāms, as well as their shared belief in religious dissimulation, the ʿ Alawīs hold many beliefs that are not accepted by the Twelver Shīʿites. These include the belief in the transmigration of souls and the placing of ʿAlī above the Prophet Muḥammad, among others (Friedman 2002: 89). Today, the Alevīs are one of Turkey’s largest religious minorities. No accurate data regarding the proportion of Alevīs within the Turkish population are currently available, and it could be anywhere between 10 to 40 per cent and “recent figures suggest Alevīs number in the region of 20 to 25 million” (Minority Rights Group International n.d.). Celia Jenkins, Suavi Aydin, and