The Alawites (also called Nusayris) are an esoteric religious community whose theology diverges significantly from mainstream Islam. Founded by Ibn Nusayr (~900 AD), the Alawites hold a doctrine of the divine trinity of Ali-Muhammad-Salman (Ali ibn Abi Talib as the supreme divine manifestation), observe a mixture of Islamic, Christian, and pre-Islamic practices, celebrate Christmas and Easter, use wine in religious ceremonies, and keep their theology secret from non-initiates. Mainstream Muslim scholars — both Sunni and Shia — have historically classified Alawites as outside Islam, though the Alawites themselves identify as Muslims. The Assad family ruling Syria is Alawite — a religious minority (~12% of Syria’s population) that has dominated the Syrian state since Hafez al-Assad’s coup in 1970, creating intense Sunni-Alawite tensions that contributed to the Syrian Civil War.