Syria
(2000)
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and
the Government generally respects this right in practice; however, it
imposes restrictions in some areas.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Both government policy and the generally amicable
relationship among religions in society contribute to the generally free
practice of religion. However, there are periodic reports of friction
between religious faiths. The Government monitors the activities of all
groups, including religious groups, discourages aggressive proselytizing,
and has banned the Jehovah's Witnesses as a politically-motivated Zionist
organization.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues
with the Government in the context of its overall policy of promoting human
rights.
Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and
the Government generally respects this right in practice; however, it
imposes restrictions in some areas. The only advantage given to a
particular religion by the Constitution is the requirement that the
President be a Muslim. There is no state religion, although the majority of
the population is Sunni Muslim.
All religions and orders must register with the
Government, which monitors fund raising and requires permits for all
meetings by religious (and non-religious) groups, except for worship.
Recognized religious groups receive free utilities and are exempt from real
estate taxes and personal property taxes on official vehicles. There is a
strict de facto separation of church and state. Religious groups tend to
avoid any involvement in internal political affairs. The Government, in
turn, generally refrains from becoming involved in strictly religious
issues. However, the Government banned Jehovah's Witnesses as a
politically-motivated Zionist organization in 1964.
Religious Demography
While there is no official state religion, Sunni Muslims
represent about 74 percent of the population. Other orders, including Druze,
Alawi, Ismailis, Shi'a, and Yazidis, constitute an estimated 16 percent of
the population. A variety of Christian denominations make up the remaining
10 percent of the population. The great majority of Christians belong to
the Eastern groups that have existed in the country since the earliest days
of Christianity. The main Eastern groups belong to autonomous Orthodox
churches, the Uniate churches which recognize the Roman Catholic Pope, and
the independent Nestorian Church. There also are believed to be less than
100 Jews and a small number of Yazidis.
The largest Christian denomination is the Greek Orthodox
Church, known in Syria as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and
All the East. The Syrian Orthodox Church is notable for its use of a Syriac
liturgy. Most Syrians of Armenian origin belong to the Armenian Apostolic
Church, which uses an Armenian liturgy. The largest Uniate church in the
country is the Greek Catholic Church. Other Uniate denominations include
the Maronite Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, and the Chaldean Catholic
Church, which derives from the Nestorian Church. The Government also
permits the presence, both officially and unofficially, of other Christian
denominations, including Baptist, Mennonite, and the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon).
Sunni Muslims are found throughout the country.
Christians tend to be urbanized and most live in Damascus and Aleppo,
although significant numbers live in the Hasaka governorate in the
northeast. A majority of the Alawis live in the Latakia governorate. A
significant majority of the Druze population resides in the rugged Jabal
Al-Arab region in the southeast. The few remaining Jews are concentrated in
Damascus and Aleppo. Yazidis are found primarily in the northeast.
Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The Government considers militant Islam a threat to the
regime and follows closely the practice of its adherents. The Government
has allowed many mosques to be built; however, sermons are monitored and
controlled and mosques are closed between prayers.
Although the law does not prohibit proselytizing, the
Government discourages such activity in practice, particularly when such
activity is deemed a threat to the generally good relations among religious
groups (see Section II). Foreign missionary groups are present but operate
discreetly.
Officially, all schools are government run and
nonsectarian, although some schools are run in practice by Christian and
Jewish minorities. There is mandatory religious instruction in schools,
with government-approved teachers and curricula. Religion courses are
divided into separate classes for Muslim and Christian students. Jews have
a separate primary school, which offers religious instruction on Judaism,
in addition to traditional subjects. Although Arabic is the official
language in public schools, the Government permits the teaching of
Armenian, Hebrew, Syriac (Aramaic) and Chaldean in some schools on the
basis that these are "liturgical languages."
Religious groups are subject to their respective
religious laws on marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
The Government generally avoids intervention in
religious affairs, including direct support for programs promoting
interfaith understanding. Nevertheless, government policies tend to support
the study and practice of moderate forms of Islam.
Government policy officially disavows sectarianism of
any kind. However, in the case of Alawis, religion can be a contributing
factor in determining career opportunities. For example, members of the
President's Alawi sect hold a predominant position in the security services
and military, well out of proportion to their percentage of the population,
which is estimated to be 12 percent.
For primarily political rather than religious reasons,
Jews generally are barred from government employment and do not have
military service obligations. Jews also are the only religious minority
group whose passports and identity cards note their religion.
The security services constantly are alert to any
possible political threat to the State and all groups, religious and
non-religious, are subject to surveillance and monitoring by government
security services.
Although Jehovah's Witnesses have continued to practice
their faith privately despite the official ban, the Government arrested
several members of Jehovah's Witnesses as they gathered for religious
meetings in 1997.
There were credible reports of large-scale arrests of
Syrian and Palestinian Islamists affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and
the Liberation Party in late 1999 and early 2000. Some of the Islamist
prisoners reportedly were tortured in detention. A number of Islamist
prisoners also were reportedly released during the period covered by this
report, but some remain in custody. These arrests were motivated primarily
by political reasons as the Government continues to view militant Islamists
as potential threats to the stability of the regime.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor United States citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed
from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such
citizens to be returned to the United States.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
Relations among the various religious communities
generally are amicable, and there is little evidence of societal
discrimination or violence against religious minorities. However, there are
periodic reports of friction between religious faiths, which may be related
to deteriorating economic conditions and internal political issues. To
date, these reports appear isolated.
Although no law prohibits religious denominations from
proselytizing, the Government is sensitive to complaints by religious
groups of aggressive proselytizing by other groups and has intervened when
such activities threatened the relations among religions. Societal
conventions make conversions relatively rare, especially in the case of
Muslim-to-Christian conversions. In many cases, societal pressure forces
those who undertake such conversions to relocate within the country or to
depart Syria in order to practice their new religion openly.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Ambassador and other embassy officials meet
routinely with religious leaders and adherents of almost all denominations
at the national, regional, and local levels. Embassy officials remain
sensitive to any change in the degree of religious freedom in the country.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |