Syrian Arab RePublic

The Syrian Arab Republic is located in southwestern Asia (the Middle East) and surrounded by Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, and the Mediterranean Sea. In ancient and medieval times, the name Syria or its equivalents al-Sham or Bilad al-Sham were used to encompass a larger area that included Palestine and some parts of the present neighboring countries. The Syrian region has important historical value for both Christianity and Islam. Saint Paul, according to the Acts of the Apostles, converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus. In spite of Muslim political domination beginning from the mid-seventh century, as early as the time of the Caliph Umar, Christians have constituted a major population in the region. Damascus, which was conquered in 635 CE by Muslims and is reportedly called by Prophet Muhammad al-Sham al-Sharif (“the Sacred Sham”), had been the capital of the Umayyads and the Mamluks. After several Muslim political dynasties, and for a short time the Crusaders, had taken it under control, the Ottoman era began for Syria in 1516 and lasted until the French mandate in 1925. Syria gained its independence in 1944.

Sunnī Muslims constitute the majority in Syria (74%). The ‘Alawi (12%), Christian (10%), and Druze (3%) populations follow. In spite of a majority of Sunnīs, ‘Alawis have been in power since the 1960s, especially after the military coup by Baathist ‘Alawis in 1966. There had been a clash between the Arab nationalist Baathists and the Muslim brotherhood. This clash reached its peak with a revolt attempt in Hama, which was the biggest uprising that took place in February 1982 against the ‘Alawi Asad regime. Baathist powers bombarded the whole city and killed thousands of people to decimate the Muslim Brotherhood. The event is known as the Hama Massacre. As a result of the Hama Massacre and the oppression of Sunnī Muslims by the intelligence agency, al-Mukhabarat, who made use of the emergency law, no significant religious conflict or other revolt attempt has taken place until the present time.

The Syrian constitution does not declare an official religion, and the political powers in charge have been trying to secularize the state as well as the society. This secularization project has to do with neutralizing Sunnī Muslim movements and internalizing ‘Alawi administration to the Sunnī majority. Hence, the Asad regime has been following a balanced pragmatist approach between secularization and Islamic rule while it seeks legitimacy for its administration and tries to maintain political power based on national and international consensus. Even though religious minorities have the right to follow their legal systems in family law matters and enjoy religious freedom to some [Page 1253]extent, the state is determined to control the religious realm, especially the Sunnī practicing Muslims. The mosques can only be in service during the day within the restricted time declared by the state. This restriction has aimed at preventing the growing Islamic revivalism centered in the mosques through religious preaching and classes. The military is extremely secularized and is harsh toward those Sunnīs who do military service and want to practice their religion. There were a few attempts to ban the veil at universities and public offices in previous decades, but they were not successful. In 2010, the full-face veil, the niqab, was banned at universities, which has been interpreted as a sign of secularization in the face of Islamic revivalism. In 2011, the uprising against the Syrian government, which was part of a groundswell of protest across the Middle East, was interpreted in part as religious conflict between the Sunnī Muslim majority in Syria and the Alawite and Christian minorities.

...