<P> Zaydi make up about 35 - 40% of the population of Yemen . They emerged in the eighth century out of Shi'a Islam . Zaidis are named after Zayd ibn ʻAlī, the grandson of Husayn ibn ʻAlī who they recognize as the fifth Imam . Followers of the Zaydi Islamic jurisprudence are called Zaydi Shi'a and make up about 35 - 40% of Muslims in Yemen . Unlike many other Shia, Zaidis dismiss religious dissimulation (taqiyya). </P> <P> Alawis, also rendered as Alawites, Alawīyyah or Nusạyriyya, are a syncretic sect of the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, primarily centered in Syria . The eponymously named Alawites revere Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), considered the 1st Imam of the Twelver school . However, they are generally considered to be Ghulat by most other sects of Shia Islam . The sect is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century, and fully established as a religion For this reason, Alawites are sometimes called Nusayris (Arabic: نصيرية ‎ Nuṣayrīyyah), though the term has come to be used as a pejorative in the modern era . Another name, "Ansari" (Arabic: انصارية ‎ Anṣāriyyah), is believed to be a mistransliteration of "Nusayri". Today, Alawites represent 11 percent of the Syrian population and are a significant minority in Turkey and northern Lebanon . There is also a population living in the village of Ghajar in the Golan Heights . They are often confused with the Alevis of Turkey . Alawites form the dominant religious group on the Syrian coast and towns near the coast which are also inhabited by Sunnis, Christians, and Ismailis . </P> <P> Alawites have historically kept their beliefs secret from outsiders and non-initiated Alawites . At the core of Alawite belief is a divine triad, comprising three aspects of the one God . </P> <P> Alawites have traditionally lived in the An - Nusayriyah Mountains along the Mediterranean coast of Syria . Latakia and Tartus are the region's principal cities . They are also concentrated in the plains around Hama and Homs . Alawites also live in Syria's major cities, and are estimated at about 12 percent of the country's population (2.6 million, out of a total population of 22 million). </P>

How many religions are there in the middle east