Salman al-Murshid

Salman al-Murshid (1907 – 16 December 1946) was a Syrian religious figure whom was the founder of Murshidism, an offshoot of Alawism. Early life Salman al-Murshid was born to an Alawite family in the village of Jawbat Burghal, in the Latakia Sanjak. His emerging power and preaching of Murshidism worried both local notable Alawite families and the French authorities, who arranged to have him and some of his followers sent to Raqqa in exile in the mid-1920s. Yet when al-Murshid returned, he managed to patch up his problems with local notables.

The Syrian government tried to charge him with treason and other civil charges, but they could not prove any of the charges. Hence, the Judge received a direct order from the president, Shukri al-Quwatli, to convict Salman by any means, and he was executed on 16 December 1946 in Marjeh Square in Damascus.

Murshidism His movement respected al-Murshid and, following his death, his sons Mujib and Saji. His second son Mujib al-Murshid was killed by Abd Elhak Shihada , a military police commander under direct orders from Adib Shishakli on 27 November 1952. Murshidites were persecuted by the Syrian authorities until President Hafez al-Assad came to power in 1970. Since then, Murshidism was practiced relatively freely. After the 1984 confrontation between Hafez al-Assad and his younger brother Rifaat al-Assad, the al-Murshid family was allowed to return to the Latakia region. Murshidites soldiers in Rifaat's Defense Companies had sided with Hafez in the confrontation. The movement suffered another loss in 1998 with the passing of Saji al-Murshid, leaving Salman al-Murshid's followers without a clear spiritual leader.

His movement's followers only exist in Syria in which they mostly spread out in Latakia Governorate, Homs Governorate, Al-Ghab Plain and Damascus. Their numbers may vary from 300 to 500,000 adherents.