Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites, so rumours about them have arisen.
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Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites, so rumours about them have arisen.
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The Alawite State was later dismantled, but the Alawites continued to be a significant part of the Syrian Armed Forces.
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Alawites are distinct from the Alevi religious sect in Turkey, although the terms share a common etymology and pronunciation.
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The 19th century historian Elias Saleh described the Alawites as living in a "state of ignorance" and having the negative traits of "laziness, lying, deceitfulness, inclination to robbery and bloodshed, and backstabbing".
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Alawites's forces entered al-Ali's village of Al-Shaykh Badr, arresting many Alawi leaders; however, Al-Ali fled to the north.
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French Mandate Administration encouraged Alawites to join their military forces, in part to provide a counterweight to the Sunni majority.
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Alawites was executed by the Syrian government in Damascus on 12 December 1946, only three days after a political trial.
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Alawites faced significant danger during the Syrian Civil War; particularly from Islamic groups who were a part of the opposition, though often denied by secular oppositionists.
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Alawites tend to conceal their beliefs due to historical persecution.
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Alawites hold that they were originally stars or divine lights that were cast out of heaven through disobedience and must undergo repeated reincarnation before returning to heaven.
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Alawites have traditionally lived in the Coastal Mountain Range, along the Mediterranean coast of Syria.
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In Cukurova, Alawites are known as Fellah and Arabusagi by the Sunni population.
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In 1939, the Alawites accounted for some 40 percent of the population of the province of Iskenderun.
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Turkish Alawites traditionally speak the same dialect of Levantine Arabic as Syrian Alawites.
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Alawites are prominent in the sectors of transportation and commerce and a large, professional middle class has emerged.
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However, according to Al-Marsad, Alawites were forced to undergo a process of naturalisation.
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