 The majority of Sunni Muslims were Arab nationalists , but not Ba 'athist , making them feel alienated . The party was chiefly dominated by minority groups such as Alawites , Druzes , and Isma 'ilis , and people from the countryside in general ; this created an urban – rural conflict based predominantly on ethnic differences . With its coming to power , the Ba 'ath Party was threatened by the predominantly anti @-@ Ba 'athist sentiment in urban politics — probably the only reason why the Ba 'athists managed to stay in power was the rather weakly organised and fragmented opposition it faced . 
