fe z ▁al - Ass ad ▁and ▁his ▁son ▁Bash ar ▁al - Ass ad ▁are ▁from ▁the ▁Kal bi y ya . ▁ ▁A law ite ▁background ▁ ▁The ▁Kal bi y ya ▁are ▁a ▁tribe , ▁or ▁trib al ▁conf eder ation , ▁of ▁the ▁A law ite ▁community ▁in ▁Sy ria . ▁The ▁A law ites , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁N us ay ris , ▁are ▁a ▁prominent ▁myst ical ▁religious ▁group ▁who ▁follow ▁a ▁branch ▁of ▁the ▁Tw el ver ▁school ▁of ▁Sh ia ▁Islam . ▁They ▁are ▁divided ▁into ▁four ▁tribes , ▁sometimes ▁described ▁as ▁trib al ▁conf eder ations : ▁the ▁M ata w ira , ▁H add adin , ▁Kh ay y atin ▁and ▁Kal bi y ya . ▁ ▁History ▁At ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Kal bi y ya ▁had ▁a ▁reputation ▁for ▁law less ness ▁and ▁were ▁in ▁open ▁conflict ▁with ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁authorities . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 5 0 s , ▁an ▁English ▁mission ary , ▁Samuel ▁Ly de ▁lived ▁among ▁them ▁and ▁built ▁a ▁mission ▁and ▁school . ▁He ▁subsequently ▁published ▁a ▁negative ▁but ▁popular ▁account ▁of ▁his ▁time ▁there , ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁wrote ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁convinced ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁like ▁St ▁Paul ' s ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁he ath en : ▁" filled ▁with ▁all ▁un r igh te ous ness , ▁for nic ation , ▁w icked ness , ▁cov et ous ness , ▁mal icious ness ".