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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Alawites of Syria

The Alawites of Syria, numbering approximately 2,320,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a mystical religious subgroup of Shia Islam centered in Syria. They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Levant people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Shia Islam. They primarily speak Arabic, Levantine.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Alawites

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Syria
People Cluster: Arab, Levant
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Levantine (apc)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 2,320,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012176
View on Joshua Project

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Pray for the Alawites of Syria

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

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Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Arabic, Levantine
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

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Media Resources in Arabic, Levantine:

Films:

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Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Arabic, Levantine:

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Arabic, Levantine bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Alawites

The Alawites are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Alawites

The Alawites are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Alawites

The Alawites are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Alawites of Syria

For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
readPsalm 130:7b

Pray for those who are unaware of God's steadfast love that is offered to them through Jesus Christ to learn the truth and experience His plentiful redemption.

And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
readZechariah 2:11

Pray that many will take refuge in the Lord and be His people who share the good news of salvation in Jesus with others.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
read1 Corinthians 3:7

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be unified in making disciples and be used by God to further His kingdom near and far.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
readActs 1:8

Pray that God will raise up believers who are willing to cross cultures and boldly share the good news of Jesus with the lost in this people group and from every nation.

Alawite (ROP3 - 114499) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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