I'd be surprised if Assad has to tell them anything. Alawites are considered heretics at best, and apostates at worst, by Sunnis. What else would you call a religion (Alawism) that has some of the forms of Islam, but allows its followers to drink alcohol, celebrates Easter and Christmas, lets its women go uncovered (i.e. no garbage bag outfits) and coexists best with Christians, rather than Shias or Sunnis? My guess is that the primary reason Assad pere went with Arab nationalism was to channel Sunni discontent (with being ruled by Alawite heretics/apostates) away from himself and toward the bogeymen of Israel and the West. His acceptance of aid from Iran is in exchange for supplying Hezbollah, which is a gnat transformed into a giant by the shadows cast by the klieg lights pointed in its direction.
I have read before that in Syria there is a mix of religions commonly called “Chrislam”. Is this what “Alawism” is about? Real question.