Alawites

An Islamic denomination whose followers are located primarily in coastal Syria with smaller numbers elsewhere.

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Between competing narratives of marginalisation and destabilisation, protests calling for federalism on Syria's coast could become a critical test for Damascus

Clerics and members of Syria's Alawite minority gather for a meeting in Qardaha, the ancestral village of the Assad family, in the western province of Latakia on December 16, 2024 for a session aiming to establish dialogue mechanisms with the new authorities in Damascus.
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Sharaa [Getty]
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People take part in a protest in al-Azhari Square, following recent attacks against the Alawite minority community, an offshoot of Shia Islam, in the coastal city of Latakia, in Syria's Alawite heartland on November 25, 2025.
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People take part in a protest in al-Azhari Square, following recent attacks against the Alawite minority community, an offshoot of Shia Islam, in the coastal city of Latakia, in Syria's Alawite heartland on November 25, 2025
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Syrian security forces deployed in force in Homs [Getty]
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The proceedings of the trial have been open to the media [Getty]
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Hundreds of civilians were killed in fighting on the Syrian coast, with government forces accused of committing crimes [Getty]
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Members of security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government stand along a rocky promontory overlooking the Mediterranean sea coast in Syria's western city of Latakia on March 9, 2025.
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Armed Syrian security forces are on the scene on the outskirts of Damascus
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The Syrian army dispatch reinforcement units consisting of hundreds of vehicles to Latakia on March 08, 2025 in Jabla, Syria. (Photo by Abdulkerim Muhammed/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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