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<\/p>\nKareem Fahim of the New York Times writes (article copied below) that the Syrian government is cracking down on religious groups. To a large extent this move is a return to business as usual. When George Bush was making his big push into the region in 2003-2004, Syria cracked down on the secular opposition that responded to Bush’s pressure on the Syrian regime by organizing the Damascus Declaration in the spring of 2005. In order to shore up support on the right as it attacked the left, Damascus gave greater latitude to religious leaders and groups.<\/p>\n
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Today, the secular opposition is weak, and Washington has largely stopped pressuring the Syrian regime. The instability and radicalism left behind by the Bush years has manifested itself in largely religious forms. The Syrian government has reassessed the threat that it faces and is leaning on religious groups even as most secular opponents are getting out of jail.<\/p>\n
Change in Syria’s alcohol laws<\/strong>: Syria’s law states that you cannot serve alcohol if you are 100 meter away from a religious place of worship. Last night they changed the law to 75 meters.<\/p>\n One SC member<\/strong> writes:<\/p>\n “Syrian Law prohibits any Muslim from acquiring a liquor license for his\/her restaurant. In fact, the last government liquor license issued to anyone was in the early 60’s. Any new place serving liquor today is operating without a license – no matter how close or far from a mosque. Ever since the Ba’ath came to power, being as secular as it is, they did not issue a single liquor license, even to Christians. If they did, it would be anti-secular! No Christian, Muslim, Armenian, or whatever had ever received a liquor license since 1963.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n New-York Times sept 3 2010<\/p>\n Syria Moves to Curb Influence of Muslim Conservatives<\/a> DAMASCUS, Syria \u2014 This country, which had sought to show solidarity with Islamist groups and allow religious figures a greater role in public life, has recently reversed course, moving forcefully to curb the influence of Muslim conservatives in its mosques, public universities and charities.<\/p>\n The government has asked imams for recordings of their Friday sermons and started to strictly monitor religious schools. Members of an influential Muslim women\u2019s group have now been told to scale back activities like preaching or teaching Islamic law. And this summer, more than 1,000 teachers who wear the niqab, or the face veil, were transferred to administrative duties.<\/p>\n The crackdown, which began in 2008 but has gathered steam this summer, is an effort by President Bashar al-Assad to reassert Syria\u2019s traditional secularism in the face of rising threats from radical groups in the region, Syrian officials say.<\/p>\n The policy amounts to a sharp reversal for Syria, which for years tolerated the rise of the conservatives. And it sets the government on the seemingly contradictory path of moving against political Islamists at home, while supporting movements like Hamas and Hezbollah abroad.<\/p>\n Syrian officials are adamant that the shifts stem from alarming domestic trends, and do not affect support for those groups, allies in their struggle against Israel. At the same time, they have spoken proudly about their secularizing campaign. Some Syrian analysts view that as an overture to the United States and European nations, which have been courting Syria as part of a strategy to isolate Iran and curb the influence of Hamas and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n Human rights advocates say the policy exacerbates pressing concerns: the arbitrary imprisonment of Islamists, as well as the continued failure to allow them any political space.<\/p>\n Pressure on Islamic conservatives in Syria began in earnest after a powerful car bomb exploded in the Syrian capital in September 2008, killing 17 people. The government blamed the radical group Fatah al-Islam.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bombing was the trigger, but the pressure had been building,\u201d said Peter Harling, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. \u201cAfter a period of accommodation with the Islamic groups, the regime entered this far more proactive and repressive mode. It realizes the challenge that the Islamization of Syrian society poses.\u201d<\/p>\n The government\u2019s campaign drew wider notice this summer, when a decision to bar students wearing the niqab from registering for university classes was compared to a similar ban in France. That move seemed to underscore a reduced tolerance for strict observance by Muslims in public life. Syrian officials have put it differently, saying the niqab is \u201calien\u201d to Syrian society.<\/p>\n The campaign carries risks for a secular government that has fought repeated, violent battles with Islamists in the past, most notably in 1982, when Mr. Assad\u2019s father, Hafez al-Assad, razed the city of Hama while confronting the Muslim Brotherhood, killing tens of thousands of people. For the moment there has been no visible domestic backlash, but one cleric, who said he was dismissed without being given a reason two years ago, suggested that could change.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Islamists now have a strong argument that the regime is antagonizing the Muslims,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The government courted religious conservatives as Western powers moved to isolate Syria amid accusations that it was behind the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, in 2005. The government appointed a sheik instead of a member of the ruling Baathist party to head the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and allowed, for the first time, religious activities in the stadium at Damascus University.<\/p>\n As the country emerged from that isolation, it focused on domestic challenges, including the fear that sectarian tensions in the region could spread \u2014 a recurring fear in Syria, a country with a Sunni majority ruled by Alawites, a religious minority.<\/p>\n The government also focused on conservatives. \u201cWhat they had nourished and empowered, they felt the need to break,\u201d said Hassan Abbas, a Syrian researcher.<\/p>\n The details of the campaign have remained murky, though Syrian officials have not been afraid to publicize its aims, including in foreign media outlets. In an interview with the American talk show host Charlie Rose in May, Mr. Assad was asked to name his biggest challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cHow we can keep our society as secular as it is today,\u201d he said. \u201cThe challenge is the extremism in this region.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Assad has in the past singled out northern Lebanon as a source of that extremism.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t forget Nahr al-Bared,\u201d said Mohammed al-Habash, a Syrian lawmaker, referring to battles in that region three years ago between Lebanese forces and Fatah al-Islam. \u201cWe have to take this seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Beginning in 2008, the government embarked on its new course when it fired administrators at several Islamic charities, according to the former cleric, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared reprisal by the government.<\/p>\n The clampdown has intensified in recent months. Last spring, the Qubaisiate, an underground women\u2019s prayer group that was growing in prominence, was barred from meeting at mosques, according to members. Earlier this summer, top officials in Damascus Governorate were fired for their religious leanings, according to Syrian analysts.<\/p>\n Other moves underscore the delicacy of Mr. Assad\u2019s campaign \u2014 or perhaps send mixed signals. A planned conference on secularism earlier this year, initially approved by the government, was abruptly canceled for no reason, according to Mr. Abbas.<\/p>\n \u201cSecularism is their version of being secular,\u201d Mr. Abbas said.<\/p>\n Another episode can be seen as a concession to Islamists, or a sign of just how comfortable the conservatives have become. A proposed rewrite of Syria\u2019s personal status law, which governs civil matters, leaked last year, retained provisions that made it legal for men to marry girls as young as 13 years old. Under pressure, including from women\u2019s groups, lawmakers abandoned the draft law.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are limits to what they can do,\u201d Mr. Harling, the analyst, said of the Syrian government. \u201cThey will try things out and pedal back if things go too far. It says a lot about how difficult it is \u2014 even for a regime that is deeply secular itself and whose survival is tied to the secular nature of Syrian society.\u201d<\/p>\n Nawara Mahfoud contributed reporting.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Comments from some Syrian readers<\/strong> about the NYTimes article:<\/p>\n A formidable balancing act for the government. I was personally very struck by how much more religious Syria has become. Aleppo has developed the area around the imposing and spectacular castle in order to attract tourists. Cars were banned from the area. Restaurants and cafes now dominate the scene. Having said that, you cannot have a single beer in the entire area. Not a single cafe or restaurant is allowed to do so. Why i asked? Because the area’s residents are too religious and hence would not allow any establishment to offer alcohol. Which tourist would choose to sit here and drink Pepsi I asked particularly when the Saudis and other Gulf Arabs are not exactly in Syria for the history and museums that it offers. Blank stares is what i got back. I offer this as an example. This is by far Aleppo’s most important tourist attraction. How the government allows residents to intimidate restaurant owners is very telling. It is almost like don’t ask don’t tell kind of arrangement. These restaurants and cafes will close down soon. You cannot survive the rent on selling Pepsi and tea. What a shame to see what this area can be and what it is today. It can put Lebanon to shame. It can take all the business that is going to that country. Instead, we want to bring our religion to the streets, cafes and restaurants. I hope that I am not offending my Muslim brothers on this list. I feel very strongly about this and I expressed my feelings to everyone in Aleppo that would listen including raees al baladiye<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A reply from another reader<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Wait until the amazing Carlton Citadel hotel opens near the citadel. The ancient restored building was once a religious school. You’ll soon be able to sit in one of the hotel rooms overlooking the Citadel drinking beer (in a room where once student were being taught religious preaching). When Damascus’ Layla’s restaurant started serving alcohol<\/a> on the terrace overlooking the grand mosque many eyebrows were raised. now the area next to the mosque has several restaurants serving alcohol.<\/p>\n It is only a matter of time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Another response<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s about time there was a crack down, but it’s not going to work, and I’m hoping it won’t backfire and produce the exact opposite results.\u00a0 It’s is a day late and a dollar short, I’m afraid.<\/p>\n What has been proven time and again is that a hapless incompetent government cannot suppress religious movements that are a manifestation of uncertainty, ignorance, and hopelessness in an illiberal society like Syria. Someone from the Syrian leadership should have studied Egypt before embarking on such a stupid move.<\/p>\n You want to move people away from religious extremism that is coupled with ignorance and hopelessness?\u00a0 Study the reasons first and address the underlying causes.\u00a0 Don’t fight the symptoms, offer enlightenment and hope instead.<\/p>\n When Syrian women renounced the hijab, uncovered their heads and went “sufur” in the street back in the 20s and 30s, it was a sign of what Syrian thought a future free of the Ottomans and a dream of liberty. It didn’t take us long to screw that dream up, big time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Another Commentator<\/strong>:<\/p>\n There are a number of measures the government ought to take that would quickly have a favorable impact; such as, narrowing the huge disparities of wealth (tax top earners) created through corruption (investigate a few big cases) and violation of the law with impunity (throw in jail a few convicted major violators regardless how big they might be), raise the salaries of government’s lower earners and pensioners (fund through cutting military spending and\/or white elephant projects), take really serious steps to alleviate water and electricity shortages (fund through cutting military spending and\/or white elephant projects) relax the state of emergency law, allow a bit of freedom of expression to opponents, reduce the degree of the cult of personality surrounding the Asad family.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Such actions could neutralize many who are candidates for religious orthodoxy or are ripe for radicalization. Such gain would, in my view, be achieved without causing serious threat to the stability of the regime. Then, sooner than later, genuine secularization can be introduced. Two areas are critical. The first is enacting a modern family law that would apply to every religion and sect. The second is reforming religious education in schools. Joshua’s research paper (Islamic Education in Syria) on the subject shows the dangers, in my opinion, of the existing curriculum. Modifying today’s material and adding to it material on ethics and comparative religious thought would translate to graduating students with a more balanced and mature view of life and the world.<\/p>\n I believe that the strength of the opposition to such reforms by Syria’s loud minority is exaggerated. It is the silent majority that counts here. The silent majority would hail these reforms. I’d love to see the results of a professional poll on the matter. The government should conduct such research. I suspect that the great majority of Syria’s women would support a new family law. Also, Syria’s educated and enlightened men would support such a law as well. I would guess that this category of men in Syria represent a majority of the country’s men. It must be made clear that religion in Syria shall be respected and that anyone can practice their chosen religion freely. What’s being advocated here is merely separating religion from the law and future law making. The manner through which such reforms is introduced is important to not inflame feelings and cut short the expected attempts of the loud active minority to spoil the effort. Turkey’s and Tunisia’s experience could have a calming effect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n FT [Reg]: Hizbollah leader denies rift with Syria<\/a> Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the radical Lebanese Shia group Hizbollah, denied that a rift was opening up between the Iranian-backed organisation and its Syrian allies during a speech given to mark a day of international solidarity with the …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is an email conversation with a few friends<\/strong>:<\/p>\n First response<\/strong>:<\/p>\n “I fail to see why Syria and HA would divorce. Lebanon’s Shiites are 40%+ of the population (and growing). HA is Lebanon’s best armed force. HA is Syria’s safety valve against Wahhabi infiltration into Lebanon via the Hariri Trojan Horse. I venture to say.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Second response:<\/strong><\/p>\n It is wishful thinking among the M14 and Saudis. I was dining yesterday with 10 or so Lebanese (Sunnis and Christians). They all had the same view (and were happy about it) that Syria sold HA for Saudi money. I told then that this is all wishful thinking and that HA is way too precious for Syria. They’ll be disappointed soon. Also<\/p>\n 1-HA’s popularity among Syrians is legendary. No sane political leader in Syria would waste political capital by going against the popular hero who continue to give Israel a bloody nose on every occasion. Regardless if this political leader is a dictator or democratically elected, popular or not.<\/p>\n 2-A key part of Asad’s soaring popularity in Syria and the region is his alliance with HA specifically. No reason to jeopardize this for mere useless brownie points with Obama or anyone else.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ?Third respondent<\/strong>:<\/p>\n I had a similar conversation with a Maronite group yesterday. They are all excited by the prospect that Syria will throw HA under the bus. I tried to tell me it ain’t happening.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jerusalem Post: Arab World: Syria\u2019s comeback game<\/a> President Bashar Assad of Syria this week reiterated his country\u2019s firm strategic alliance with Hizbullah. The occasion for the dictator\u2019s remarks was the latest visit by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the Syrian capital. Assad\u2019s …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Israeli-Palestinian Peace: Lowering the Bar on ‘Progress’<\/a> [The money quote] Abbas, may be hoping simply to demonstrate, with Americans in the room, that Netanyahu won’t willingly implement a viable two-state solution, and that if Washington believes, as Secretary of State Clinton emphasized, that a two-state peace is important to U.S. national security, it had better be prepared to pressure the Israelis. Obama’s retreat on the settlement freeze standoff suggests that may be wishful thinking.(See why Israel doesn’t care about peace.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Asma al-Assad<\/a>: Ceremony honoring Father Elias Zahlawi and Choir of Joy at the People Palace in Damascus<\/p>\n The Listening Post \u2013 The media and the \u2018Ground Zero mosque\u2019 story<\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Studies Association Newsletter<\/a>, with a special focus on Syria studies in Scotland and Scandinavia, is now available online. The table of contents appears below; a link to the newspaper can be found at the end of this message.<\/p>\n * Letter from the President<\/p>\n * Syrian Studies Association News<\/p>\n Syria-Related MESA 2010 Panels<\/p>\n * Feature Articles<\/p>\n “The St Andrews University Centre for Syrian Studies” by Raymond Hinnebusch<\/p>\n “Syria Studies in Sweden” by Annika Rabo<\/p>\n “The Finnish Institute in Damascus” by Hannu Juusola<\/p>\n “Profile of a Swedish Arabist” by Steve Tamari<\/p>\n “New Private Library in Sha’alan” by Beverly A Levine<\/p>\n “Teaching with Middle Eastern Constitutions: Exploring Ideals, Assessing Realities” by Andrea L Stanton<\/p>\n To read this issue, click here<\/a>:\u00a0 or the Kareem Fahim of the New York Times writes (article copied below) that the Syrian government is cracking down on religious groups. To a large extent this move is a return to business as usual. When George Bush was making his big push into the region in 2003-2004, Syria cracked down on the secular opposition that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rel-ethn"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBy KAREEM FAHIM<\/p>\n
\n2010-09-03<\/p>\n
\n2010-09-04<\/p>\n
\nBy Tony Karon in Time, Friday, Sep. 03, 2010<\/p>\n\n
\nSyrian Studies Association homepage: www.ou.edu\/ssa<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"