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ʿAlawite

[ al-uh-weet, al-uh-weet ]

/ ˈæl əˌwit, ˌæl əˈwit /

noun Islam.

a member of a Shiʿite sect inhabiting the coastal district of Latakia in northwest Syria.

Also ʿAl·a·wi

[al-uh-wee] /ˈæl ə wi/.

Also called Nusairi.

Origin of ʿAlawite

< Arabic ʿAlawī + -ite¹

Example sentences from the Web for alawite

Over time he can be eased out—as long as his Alawite people are protected in some kind of federal Syria.

A Winning Strategy for Iraq and Syria |Leslie H. Gelb |June 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Assads come from the minority Alawite sect of Islam, and so do most of the key commanders in the Syrian armed forces.

Up to Speed: Five Things You Need to Know on Syria |Christopher Dickey |September 3, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The killings of some 7,000 Sunni Syrians in March of 2011 by predominately Alawite security forces forced Hamas to take a stand.

Arab Spring Keeps Sending Hamas Packing |Rachel Cohen |July 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The rebels are not ready to even tactically relinquish the objective of destroying the Alawite core of the Syrian state.

Why Now Is the Time For Syria Diplomacy |Trita Parsi |May 16, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Indeed, it has focused on ethnically cleansing those areas of Sunnis to create an Alawite mini-state.

Why Now Is the Time For Syria Diplomacy |Trita Parsi |May 16, 2013 |DAILY BEAST