https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/mohammed-sergie-and-lara-setrakian/rss en Religious & Ethnic Groups Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Mohammed Sergie and Lara Setrakian https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2012/12/16/about-the-alawites-on-the-margins-of-islam-at-the-center-of-power https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2012/12/16/about-the-alawites-on-the-margins-of-islam-at-the-center-of-power As Bashar Al Assad’s grip on power weakens, fears are mounting over the fate of the Alawite community, the Assad family’s heterodox Shiite sect. Who are the Alawites? Why are so many of them fighting for the regime? How they fare in the next phase of the conflict will likely shape Syria’s future.