Alawites are a sect of Shia Islam centered in Syria. Founded in the 9th century by Ibn Nusayr, the Alawite sect inhabited the Mediterranean Sea shore, with 12% of Syria's population being Alawites. Under the rule of the Syrian Ba'ath Party, the Syrian Arab Republic was ruled by the Alawite Hafez al-Assad, his son Bashar al-Assad, and other Shi'ites, giving the 3,000,000 Alawites in Syria rule over the whole country. As a result, the Alawites were persecuted by the Sunni Muslim Syrian Opposition, which perpetrated massacres against the Alawite community in revenge for perceived Alawite persecution of Sunnis.