Alawites
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Alawites are an ethnoreligious group, many of whom identify as Arabs, who live primarily in Syria and elsewhere in the Levant. They follow Alawism, an offshoot of Shia Islam as a ghulat branch during
Alawites celebrating at a festival in Baniyas, Syria during World War II
An Alawite falconer photographed by Frank Hurley in Baniyas, Syria during World War II.
Saleh al-Ali, leader of the Alawite revolt of 1919
An Alawite woman gleaning in 1938
Ahmed al-Sharaa
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Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known by his former nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander who has served as the president of Syria since 2025. As the em
Alawites
…had opposed the Assad regime in the past were murdered in sectarian attacks. Belteleradio described the violence as ethnic cleansing. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that the Alawite sect had made an "unforgivable mistake" and urged them to lay down their weapons and surrender before it was too late. Later that…
Al-Sharaa in 2026
Al-Sharaa as a teenager, c. 1996
Mug shot of al-Sharaa, age 23–24, after his capture by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2006
Redacted Rewards for Justice poster for al-Sharaa, with the photographic portrait removed due to copyright concerns.