Talk:Alawites/Archive 1

Shi'ism
So, are Alawites descended from Ismailis or Twelvers? In the "History" section, it says that one (disputed) story is that they are descended from Ismailis, but below, it says that (no mention of controversy) they are descended from Twelvers ("Theologically Alawites descend from Twelver Shiites"). Does this mean to say that they are theologically closer to Twelvers, in that they share more beliefs?

Also, the "Pillars of Islam" bit is a little garbled. Traditionally, there are Five Pillars of Islam. The article makes it sound as if Alawites add two more, Jihad and Waliya. But then I don't understand that they "recognize 5 of 7".--Max power 18:08, 23 Mar 2004 (UTC)

REPLY I think the tow points you mentioned were corrected. 1. Ismailis are also descendents of Twelvers. There is a high probability that Ismaili sect was founded prior to Alawite but that does not mean that the latter descended from the former. 2. The part of the additional two pillars of Islam was removed. you were right though, it absolutely did not make sense the way it was written. August 10, 2004.

Both the Ismailis and the Alawites broke away from the main branch of the Shia and both did this in the gnostic sourroundings of Mesopotamia. Their similarities derive there from. The Ismailis were Seveners from their beginnings, but at that time there was no elaborate Twelver Shia. Not before the Saffavids ruled Persia the Twelver took shape. Thus the Alawites are a Shiite sect of their own kind.

I just thought I might put in something to say that the terms Alawi and Alevi are different, as that tripped me up once (I thought the latter was the Turkish pronunciation of the former). There is a liitle self-referrence in there too, that I'll remove. Gareth Hughes 18:52, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

how many Alawites in Syria ?
I've never encountered in the historical and scientific literature about Syria a percentage higher than 10-11% of the population for the Alawites, where does this 25% estimate come from ? In Lebanon, they have one seat in the Parliament since the Taef agreement. In Turkey there are probably many more Alawites than in Lebanon, in the Hatay and Adana provinces, some are Arab-speaking, some 'turkified'. --Pylambert 09:02, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

"There are also fewer than 200,000 Alawites who live in Lebanon,"

Though this is true, the statement could be more accurate. The number of alawites in Lebanon is really small. I doubt that there is more than a few thousands.--equitor 07:28, August 31, 2005 (UTC)

They have two seats actually. There are a lot of Alawites in Tripoli and in a number of villages along the Syrian border. Funkynusayri 19:49, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Alawites/Religion/Syncretism
The article states that "Alawites also study the writings of Aristotle, Socrates and Alexander the Great". This should be changed to: "Alawites also study the writings of Aristotle as well as other texts, puportedly written by Socrates and Alexander the Great", since neither Socrates nor Alexander have left any texts. &mdash;the preceding unsigned comment is by 212.205.127.4 (talk &bull; contribs) 11:19, 11 November 2005

Alawites do have in position text from aristotle, socrates and alexander the great. As they have been passed down from generation to generation as our ancestors were present during those times. &mdash;the preceding unsigned comment is by 58.105.224.62 (talk &bull; contribs) 10:03, 4 January 2006
 * Thank you, 58.105.224.62, for your input. I think the previous comment was not to deny the place of Socrates and Alexander in Alawite texts, but to ensure historical accuracy. Do Alawites believe that they have hidden knowledge of personal texts, or is it that we are speaking of the historical texts available to all that were written about these men rather than by them? Also, we need to be very careful with the accuracy of numbers. You changed the upper limit of Alawite population of Syria from 11% to 17%. This is a big change, and seems rather unlikely. Please could you reference this figure before adding it, and I'll change it back for now. In conjunction with this, you have changed the Alawite population of Lebanon from 'a few thousand' to 'thousands'. The former suggests a population of around 3,000 to 4,000, while the latter is difficult to interpret. Granted that it would be better to have more accurate figures, the former style is more precise. You also removed the following from the article:

"In their esoteric interpretation, Muhammad, Ali's cousin, is the 'Name' (Arabic: ism الاسم ); Salman the Persian is the 'Gate' (Arabic: bab باب ) of knowledge; and Ali is the 'Meaning' (Arabic المعنى)."
 * Can anyone verify the usefulness of this statement? I can only verify the correctness of its Arabic. --Gareth Hughes 11:16, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

1911 EB article
For reference purposes; unedited --FeanorStar7 04:28, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

NOSAIRIS (also known as Ansayrii, sometimes Ansariyeh), the people who inhabit the mountainous country of N. Syria, which is bounded on the S. by the north end of the Lebanon at the Nahr el-Keblr (Eleutherus), on the N. by Mt Casius, Antioch and the Nahr el-'Asi (Orontes). Various settlements of them "are found also in Antioch itself and in Tarsus, Adana, and a few other places, while in harvest time they come down as far as the Biq'a (Buka'a). From the time of Strabo until about two centuries ago, the country was famed for its wine, but now more for its tobacco (especially at Latakia). The total number of Nosairis inhabiting this country is variously estimated at from 120,000 to 150,000.

The origin of the name Nosairi is uncertain. Among the more possible explanations is that the name is derived from that of Mahommed Ibn Nusair, who was an Isma'Ilite follower of the eleventh imam of the Shiites at the end of the 9th century. This view has been accepted by Nosairi writers, but they transfer Ibn Nusair to the 7th century and make him the son of the vizier of Moawiya I., while another tradition (cf. Abulfeda, Geog. vol. ii. p. n, No. 7) identifies him with Nusair, a freedman of the caliph 'Ali. It is, however, noteworthy that Pliny (Hist. not. v. 81) gives the name Nazerini to the inhabitants of this district. In this part of Syria paganism remained even up to the middle ages (cf. Archives de I'Orient latin, vol. ii. 2, p. 375), and there is a complete absence of churches of the 5th to the 7th centuries in these mountains. In the 7th century the Arabs invaded Syria, but do not seem to have got into these mountains. At the end of the loth century, however, the Isma'Ilite propaganda won some success among the people. Their strongholds were taken by Raymond in 1099, and later Tancred secured the very summits. In 1132—1140 the Assassins gained possession of their chief towns, but Saladin recovered them in 1188. In 1317 the sultan Bibars endeavoured to convert them to orthodox Islam, and built many mosques, but Ibn Batuta (i. 177) says they did not use them. A fatwa of Ibn Taimiyya (d. 1327) of this time shows that the Nosairis were regarded with fear and hatred by the orthodox. For the next 5oo years they were given over to their own internal disputes, until they came under the power of Ibrahim Pasha in 1832. At the present time they are under the direct administration of the Turks. The religion of the Nosairis seems to have been almost the same in the first years of the 5th century A.H. (11th century A.D.) as it is to-day, judging by the references in the.sacred books of the Druses. As set forth in their own sacred book, the Majmu', it seems to be a syncretism of Isma'Ilite doctrines and the ancient heathenism of Harran. The ages of the world are seven in number, each of these having its own manifestation of deity. But the manifestation of the 7th age is not a Mahdi who is yet to come, but the historical person 'Ali ibn abu Talib. This is stated in the crudest form in Sura n of the Majmu : " I testify that there is no god but 'Ali ibn abu Talib." 'Ali is also called the Ma'nd (" Idea "; cf. the Logos of the New Testament), hence the Nosairis are also called the Ma'nawiyya. 'Ali created Mahomet, who is known as the Ism (" Name "), and a trinity is formed by the addition of Salman ul-FarisI, who is the Bab (" Door "), through whom the propaganda is made, and through whom one comes to God. A mysterious symbol much used in their ceremonies of initiation consists of the three letters 'Ain, Mim, Sin, these being, the initials of 'Ali, Mahomet and Salman. Of these three, however, 'Ali is the supreme. In Sura 6 of the' Majmu* the Nosairi says: " I make for the Door, I prostrate myself before the Name, I worship the Idea." Each of the seven manifestations of God in the ages of the world has been opposed by an adversary.

The Nosairis are divided into four sects, (i) The Haidarls (from the name haidari, " lion," given to 'Ali on account of his valour) are the most advanced. (2) The Shamalis or Shamsis preserve many traces of the old nature-worship, 'Ali (i.e. the supreme god) is the heaven, Mahomet is the sun, Salman the moon. (3) On the other hand the Kalazis, so named from a sheik Mahommed ibn Kalazi (cf. E. Salisbury in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, viii. 237), or Qamaris, hold that the supreme god ('Ali) is the moon, not the sun. Their poetry addressed to the moon is translated by C. Huart in the Journal asiatique, ser. vii. vol. xiv. pp. 190 ff. (4) The Ghaibis are worshippers of the air, for God is invisible. In this they come nearer to the ordinary Isma'ilite doctrine. Religion is restricted among the Nosairis to the initiated, who must be adults over fifteen years of age and of Nosairi parentage. The initiator, who must not be a relative, becomes a spiritual father, and the relation cannot be broken except by his consent. The initiation consists of three stages. In the first the novice is received and told to meditate on the three mystic letters; in the second, after a period of forty days, he is taught the titles of the 16 suras of the Majmu'; in the third, after seven or nine months (intended to correspond with the ordinary period of gestation), he is taught Suras 5, 6 and 9, learns the meaning of the three mystic letters and goes through a further period of instruction from his initiator. The initiated are divided into two classes, the sheiks, who are recruited from the families of sheiks only, and the ordinary members.

The Nosairis are believers in metempsychosis. The pious Nosairi takes his rank among the stars, but the body of the impious undergoes many transformations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.Rene Dussaud, Histoire de la religion des Nosairis (Paris, 1900); St Guyard, " Le Fatwa d'lbn Taimiyyah sur les Nosairis," in Journal asiatique (ser. vi. vol. xviii. pp. 158 ff). List of forty Nosairi MSS. by J. Catafago in Journal asiatique (ser. vii. vol. viii. pp. 523 ff). C. Huart, " La Poesie religieuse des Nosairis," Journal asiatique (ser. vii. vol. xiv. pp. 190 ff). The Kitab ul Bukuta, containing the Majmu', was published at Beirut, 1863, and translated for the most part by E. Salisbury in the Journal of the Amer. Or. Soc. (viii. 227-308).

ʕAlī or Ali?
The use of ʕAlī is not consistent with other parts of Wikipedia, most notably the main artlce. I'd like to see some discussion of this so we can see if there's a consensus. If no one responds within a week, I'll make the Wikification changes and perhaps those who have put the page on their Watch Lists will the contribute. Inter lingua talk email 04:54, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

In the English WP the policy is to use the standard English spelling (Ali). It's better to leave the original Arabic spelling for the article on Ali himself. Ashmoo 04:34, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Alawis in the Golan
I live in the Golan, which hold 4 Druze villages (Majdal Shams, Bukataa, Ein Kinye and Massade). These villages are all 100% Druze. All the rest of the communities in the Golan are Jewish commuinites built after 1967. There are no 2000 Alawis in the Golan, and I would dare to say there is not a single one...
 * Ghajar is an Alawite village (the only one in the Golan heights, or in Israel in general). According to its article on the Hebrew Wikipedia, there were 2700 residents in Ghajar as of 2005. While some may live in the Lebanese side of Ghajar, I think the ~2000 Alawites figure is correct.--88.152.102.90 12:27, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

in the article they are talking about Hafez Al Assad and him and his Alawi men, and also talkng about te War in the 1970's where Isreal tried to ake Golan as theri own land. Their not saying Alawi live there.. read the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alawi 4 life (talk • contribs) 15:05, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Are Alawites Shia?
I am a Alawi person, and this is what iv been taught. There are 2 types of Alawi there are thoses that are very distant, and believe that Ali is a god, and etc, and then there are thoses that are like me. Me and my Alawi family and friends, pray, during Ramadan, and Celebrate all Shia Eids. Now with Ashoura we dont hit ourselvs because we are "alawi" (Alawi arabic for = Followers of Ali) We dont hit ourselvs because we just celebrate the day as a Eid, the day the Hussain died. Where as Shia deeply love the Hussian alot, and hit themselvs because they were the ones that left Al Hussian and Al Hussan to dye. Alawism hadnt been formed around that time. Further more Alawi woman dont wear the Hijab, We read hte Quran and concentrate the Quran mainly really and only use our Relgious texts are a form of study and further understanding islam and the Quran, and some extra details. For example, in the Quran it is not said that the prophets before Noah were tall. It is not said that Adam and Eve (Hawah) were up to 30 ft tall when they were put on earht, and ever since after the Great Flood mankind has been decreasing in size. it does not say that in the Quran, so the Alawi/Shia texts are for further understanding. Now how are Alawi related to Shia? Alawi believer in All 12 Imams, and the Imam Al Mahdi; the Unknown imam coming soon. That is the main link that connects Alawi and Shia the belief that Alawi believe in all 12 shia imams that is how we are related. Now when the article talks about the 5 pillars of Islam, it is trying to say that Alawi believe that you cant just Follow the 5 pillars of Islam and you wil go to heaven? No the Article is trying to say that.. Alawi believe it takes a life Devotion of study and belief in Alawi Islam. Now when it coes to the Christian Sense of Alawi, is Christmas, some Alawi celebrate Christmas and Easter, now tey dont celebrate it the Christain way but fomr a Alawi islamic sense. Alawi so regonise he belief that Marry Wasnt married and that she had "Zacaris" to protect her and guard her. Alawi Celebrate christmas because it is the day Jesus (or Issa) was born, and Celebrate Easter because it is the day he came back, Alawi and Muslims both believe that Jesus was born obviously and both believe that he came back, so Alawi follow the Islamic sotryline of Jesus, but at the same time Celebrate Christmas and Easter to fit the islamic Belief. With the phoenican paganism, is Rencarnation. Alawi believe in Rencarntion this is simple to explain, lead a good life you might get rencarnated one more time then go to heaven, or lead a bad life depending on how you lead your life you could end up as a Animal if you lead a bad life. So the idea being life on earth is what you make it, follow the Alawi Islamic rules and the Quran you are in Heaven and leading a good life, and wil end up in heaven psosibly when you die. Lead a bad life ...life on earth wil be your own made hell, and you might get rencarnated as an Animal which is worse. Hope that should Explain it, so Alawi are very similar to Shia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alawi 4 life (talk • contribs) 14:57, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

There is a contradiction on some articles about whether or not the Alawites are Shia. I've ironed out what I've seen of it, although I suppose it will return. So are the Alawites shia? And who decides what is or is not Shia? JASpencer 10:26, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
 * My understanding is that the Alawites are a heterodox sect arising out of the Shia tradition. Orthodox Shia often don't consider them to be Shia (or even Islamic), but we could compare that to Heterodox groups deriving out of the Protestant tradition, for instance - orthodox Protestants don't consider Unitarians or Jehovah's Witnesses to be Christian, but both groups trace their origin to the Protestant tradition.  It's probably best to express it in some way like that, and not get into the POV dispute over whether they are "really" Shia or not. john k 15:35, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
 * The Alawi themselves seem to regard themselves as Shia, while Twelver Shiites (more or less) don't. That's whats confusing me on this. JASpencer 16:01, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Do Twelver Shiites consider Seveners to be Shiites? At any rate, I think the thing to do is to say they come out of the Shiite tradition, and perhaps that they consider themselves Shiite, but that they are considered heretics by orthodox Twelver Shiites as well as by Sunnis. john k 18:01, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

AND THE ALAWIYEE DO FOLLOW THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM YOU MUST HAVE MIS READ THE TEXT. They use the 5 pilars as a guide but not nesscarrlary follow them full on.121.220.19.107 (talk) 07:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The Shiite view of them is not one of simple heterodoxy. For example Twelver Shia judges started were the first jurists of the Alawi courts in the Alawite State, Alawites were invited to Najaf (with mixed success) and they accepted oversight of the Lebanese Alawis in the 1970s.  Twelvers do seem to reject the Alawites.  We also have the problem that Alawites are definately claim shia origin and they are self defined as Shia.  JASpencer 18:16, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

'''But shias are so much more mainstream, how can alewites be even muslim if they dont follow the 5 pillar of faith this is crazy. if they trule believ this then they should be denounced completely as mulslims. alewite beliefs are blasphemous if this is what they are'''
 * Shi'a Muslims do not consider Allawites to be part of the Ithna'Ashari school (or the Jafari school, if you will). Allawites can be labeled Shi'a in the historical context in that they emerged from the Party of Ali and those who followed Ali as the rightful successor to the prophet. However, many, many facets of Allawite religion puts it outside of Shi'a Islam and Islam in general. As a Shi'a Muslim myself, I am downright offended to be grouped with the Allawites, just like most Sunni Muslims would be offended to be grouped together with the Ahmadis or the Qur'anists. Allawism can believe what it wants, but the gnostic element of the religion, the deification of Ali, the refusal in accepting converts, their adherence to another holy collection that proceeds the Qur'an, their belief that the Qur'an has been corrupted, their refusal to publish their beliefs and make them clear and their extreme views regarding Ali, Muhammed and the Angel Gabriel put Allawites outside the realm of Islam. I have tried numerous times to remove the quote in the first part of this page that says that Allawism is a sect of Shi'a Islam. That's downright insulting, but the person adhering to this page is headstrong in maintaining this ridiculous lie. Allawites are an offshoot of Shi'a Islam, much like the Ahmadis and the Qur'anis are an offshoot of Sunni Islam. If you want to talk about Shi'a madhabs, please refer to Usooli and Akbari - this is equivalent to the Sunni breakdown of madhabs (Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki, Hanbali). Everything outside of these is not Sunni Islam, but a different interpretation all together; the same holds true with Shi'a Islam.
 * I have spoken to Allawites who have told me that they believe that Ali created Muhammed out of light and that the Angel Gabriel was a drunkard who gave the Qur'an to Muhammed when he should have given it to Ali. They also told me that the Qur'an has been corrupted. If any Shi'a Muslim reads what I have written, they will realize that these are the accusations thrown at us by ignorant fools from the Sunni madhabs, who group us together with the unusual Allawi religion. To any Shi'a Muslim reading this: can you accept being grouped together with people who hold such beliefs? Allawites can believe in what they like, but don't for a second group your religion with Shi'a Islam.
 * And to the person mentioning the "two versions" of Allawism: if you are implying that one of the versions of Allawism is very close to Shi'a Islam, then you would be Shi'a. Even if you uphold all of the pillars, believe in the immamate of Ali and the Ahlul Bayt, and believe in the Qur'an, there is still an element of your religion that isn't Shi'ism - an element that would be rejected by Twelver Shi'is. Until your community clearly lays out its beliefs, my position still stands. The term Shi'a today, insofar as it is a religious definition, refers to the Ithna'Ashari (Twelver or Jafri) school of thought and nothing more. Ismailis take the religion and go elsewhere, as do the Allawites and the Alevis (who are really a Sufi order that leans towards Shi'ism - most Sufi orders actually follow a Sunni madhab). The Zaidis are historically Shi'a like the aforementioned groups, but they follow a Sunni madhab.
 * To the person who said that the Twelver school didn't emerge until the Safavids: the Safavids adopted Twelver-Shi'ism while they were in Lebanon. By the that time, the Usooli school of Shi'a Islam had already been established. I can even refer you to debates that went on between Sunni and Shi'a in Arabia long before the Safavids came into existence. The Shi'a development is very precise; the religion was laid down by the prophet, perfected through his actions and the Qur'an; the religion was solidified and put to practice through his family - the Ahlul Bayt - who produced 12 imams or caliphs (as per Shi'a and Sunni ahadith) that guided mankind, set up jurisprudence and developed the Islamic sciences. As such, Twelver Shi'ism didn't just pop up with the Safavids. If some of you would take the time to look into the Jafri school of thought, you will find that it is a very deep, methodological madhab that shares many, many similarities with Sunni Muslims; you will find a madhab that has a strict adherence to ahadith, who maintain and develop the understanding of jurisprudence and towheed. You will find an interpretation of Islam that is deep-rooted in the prophet's tradition and that of his descendants. Allawism in no way does this. So please, look below the surface. There is more to being a (full) Shi'a than simply believing in the caliphate of Ali.

Most religions have different factions that accuse each other of heresy -- Europe was wracked by war between Catholics and Protestants, Orthodox Christianity still has a whammy curse or something on the Pope, and most mainstream Christians view Mormanism as a completely non-Christian religion.

Wikipedia absolutely can't be making theological judgements. Just state the facts, Alawites call themselves Shi'ite Muslims. Other Muslim groups view them as heretical (and make sure you point out in the Sunni article that Shi'ites consider Sunnis heretical for allegedly destroying portions of the Quran).

Alexander the Great
"Alawites also study the writings of Aristotle, Socrates, and Alexander the Great."

Alexander the Great didn't write anything (that the West knows of).

There are some ancient biographies of him that are secular.

If there is some Alawite document attributed to Alexander this needs to be specified.

This is another sign of the high "hearsay" quotient and potential for error of this largely unsourced article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.7.2.196 (talk) 09:15, 24 December 2006 (UTC).

Drastic Changes?
Just wondering, but why has the list of Natiq and Asas changed to such a ridiculous degree, now it includes Adam, Alexander and many people not originally listed.

THIS ARTICLE IS RADICALOUS! IT IS SO CRAP THE INFORMATION ON THIS ARTICLE. I AM ALAWI AND I READ SOME OF THE THINGS ON THIS PAGE TO MY FRIENDS FATHER WHO IS AN ALAWI SHEIKH AND AGREED THAT A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION IS WRONG. NOT ALL!! ALAWI TAKE ON THE SAME BELIEFS AS THE ONE DESCRIBED IN THIS ARTICLE. I MOST CERTAINLY KNOW WELL ENOUGH THAT ME AND MY FAMILY DO!! NOT!! BELIEVE!! THE IMAM ALI IS GOD, NOR A PROPHET. BUT THIS ARTICLE KINDA STATES THE ALAWI BELIEVE IN ALI AS SOME KIND OF GOD OR PROPHET??!! NOT ALL ALAWI DO THOUGH?!!! THIS ARTICLE NEEDS MAJOR EDITIONS AND CHANGES. VERY UNHAPPY THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES WHAT THE SUNNI THINK OF MY/OUR RELIGION. 121.220.19.107 (talk) 07:35, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Alright, if you list all the exact parts you think should be changed, we can work on it. Funkynusayri (talk) 09:44, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

T.E. Lawrence on Alawites
Could this be incorporated in some way as a historical view?

"Otherwise, a main component of the coast population was the community of Ansariya, those disciples of a cult of fertility, sheer pagan, anti-foreign, distrustful of Islam, drawn at moments towards Christians by common persecution. The sect, vital in itself, was clannish in feeling and politics. One Nosairi would not betray another, and would hardly not betray an unbeliever. Their villages lay in patches down the main hills to the Tripoli gap. They spoke Arabic, but had lived there since the beginning of Greek letters in Syria. Usually they stood aside from affairs, and left the Turkish Government alone in hope of reciprocity."

http://telawrence.net/telawrencenet/works/spw/sp_05_058.htm

Funkynusayri 16:34, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Still needs a lot of work
Honestly this article still leaves much to be desired. It's not only the Religion section that isn't sourced, but the whole article. And I mean, citing "Hanna Batatu's last book" and not giving any reference to it???! And what's with this talk about "how sincere is this rejection of bida"? What innovation? About what? What rejection? And why a link to a city in Niger? And why this paragraph about conformism without any context? And what about this citation from Landis' article about being accepted by Muslims, in contrast to the Druzes (without even saying where it comes from) ? A lot of this article looks like a patchwork of things related to the Alawites but without really saying why it's precisely here in this article. I wouldn't put it as B-class. I'll have to do some modifications when I'm done reading some of the scholarly research that's been done on the Alawis. May 21, 2007.

Sounds very good, the article is severely lacking. I've tried to spice it up with some pictures and similar, but the actual text is of course the most important part of an article. Funkynusayri 19:38, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree with the above comment around that time last year was the first time i Wikipedia'ed Alawi, and didnt get a word the person was talkin about in the certain section of the article you quoted from. The pictures are cool where'd you get them from, pictures like that are hard to find.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alawi 4 life (talk • contribs) 14:37, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The pictures are from various places, you can see where if you click on them. Funkynusayri (talk) 15:15, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Template
I'm making a "religious group" template, feel very free to add to it and change details. I chose the Alaouites flag as a representative image because it incorporates symbols of the faith and due to its significance to the Alawites. And well, there doesn't seem to be an alternative.Funkynusayri 03:00, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

There shouldnt be an article on Alawism... if you seek to find a proper source of information, try a local library. Books are a muc better a reliable source of Information.. for the main reason that they must go through the publishers, if they are not approved by the publishes then teh book doesnt get published. Books are a 100% reliable source, but you gotta search everywhere. But is say your best chances at learning about Alawism without any distored or incorrect information is to Find a Alawi Sheik and ask him or a Alawi person you know of ask them. Otherwise due to the Respects of our relgion no one will ever really know because we choose to practise Islam the way Ali did, in private and for yourself, not for show. Alawi 4 life (talk) 14:14, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The thing is, no matter what we think, there'll still be an article about Alawites, so all we can do is try to improve on it, as it won't go away. Funkynusayri (talk) 14:19, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Great Article
I always wanted to learn about the Alawites from a Nusayri instead of what other people say about them! --Skatewalk 06:27, 3 August 2007 (UTC)
 * You shouldnt rely on that article or any internet articles, yorur better off asking an actual Alawi person, because i found a couple of things in there a bit wrong. But most of it is correct. Just minior details need to be changed i reckon.. because the Alawi already get enough crap. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alawi 4 life (talk • contribs) 14:34, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Picture of Ali
The picture of ALi on this page doesn't have anything to do with Alawis/Nusayris (and may or may not be Ali); it's a nineteenth century Iranian picture. Having it here suggests that this is an icon that Alawis worship. Unless there's evidence that this picture is related to Alawism, I don't see a reason to keep it. Aliibn (talk) 14:05, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It's simply a picture supposed to depict Ali, no text states it is "worshiped". Ali is important to the sect, thus he is shown here. Funkynusayri (talk) 16:01, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Um, the article states that Alawis worship Ali. An image of Ali here ought then to be something actually used by Alawis ... if not, having such an image gives taht impression.  (Alawis also breathe air; should there be pictures of oxygen molecules?) Aliibn (talk) 20:46, 1 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Alawis hardly worship images in any case. Funkynusayri (talk) 04:03, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
 * The painting of Ali is just a painting of Ali? Why cant things be as they are, it was just put there because the article is discussing it, of corse we dont no what Ali looked like. Its just imagination. Just like with paintings of Jesus, we dont know what he looked like, artists just painted a painting of Jesu from word of mouth of how he looked. Its just Imagination, and artists being artists, has nothing to do with Idolising Ali.
 * Alawites hardly worshop Ali like a god. All though there are "some" that do, but they are rare. All Alawites worship Ali as an Imam. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alawi 4 life (talk • contribs) 14:27, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Move to Alawites
Someone moved this article to "Alawism", which is a bad idea, since most other sects do not have the "ism" suffix in the title (see Druze, Alevi, Ismaili, so on), and the sect isn't widely known as "Alawism" anyway. Funkynusayri (talk) 12:49, 10 March 2008 (UTC)