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I don't really feel like sitting down to explain this in-depth, but 'Arab' is not a genetic identification as it is used today, unless you want to strictly refer to those of the Gulf. In Arab countries, ethno-religious groupings are ethnic groupings that also have a religious aspect to them, because of the lack of intermarriage between different groups in the past. Alawites are closer to Lebanese & Druze than the Syrian average, and to the Jewish of the Caucuses and Iraq/Iran over the Iraqi average.
Ethnicity isn't just genetic, though. Alawites have a different background as a distinct group with a distinct culture & identity, and most significantly are considered & acknowledged as different. Religion is tied to identity is tied to culture is tied to genetics. In some places, one is more important than another. I don't think there is a way to 'disagree' or 'agree' with this— ethno-religions = ethnicity because of these factors. It is different in other places of course, I don't deny this, but there is no universal way to define this term.
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