Syria
(2001)
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.
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.
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 U.S. Government discusses religious
freedom issues with the Government in the context of its
overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area of approximately
71,498 square miles and its population is approximately 17
million. Sunni Muslims represent about 74 percent of the
population (approximately 12.6 million persons). Other Muslim
groups, including Druze, Alawi, Ismailis, Shi'a, and Yazidis,
constitute an estimated 16 percent of the population (approximately
2.7 million persons). A variety of Christian denominations
make up the remaining 10 percent of the population (approximately
1.7 million persons). 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 about 100
Jews. It is difficult to obtain precise population estimates
for various religious denominations due to government sensitivity
to sectarian demographics.
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 (Mormons).
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.
Foreign missionary groups are present but
operate discreetly.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
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 official state religion, although the majority
of the population is Sunni Muslim.
All religions and orders must register
with the Government, which monitors fundraising 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,
including direct support for programs promoting interfaith
understanding. Nevertheless, government policies tend to
support the study and practice of moderate forms of Islam.
The Government generally does not prohibit
links by its citizens with coreligionists in other countries
or with a supranational hierarchy. In May 2001, Pope John
Paul II visited the country and conducted a public mass in
Damascus, which representatives of all of the country's Orthodox
and Uniate Christian denominations attended. The Government
also allowed the Pope to tour the Ummayyad Mosque in Damascus,
which was the first time in history that a Pontiff visited
a mosque. At a ceremony welcoming the Pope to the country,
President Bashar al-Asad gave a speech that was widely denounced
as anti-Semitic (see Section IV).
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."
Both Orthodox and Western Easter and three
Muslim religious holidays (Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, and
the Prophet Mohammed's birthday) are recognized as national
holidays.
Religious groups are subject to their respective
religious laws on marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
In 1964 the Government banned Jehovah's
Witnesses as a politically-motivated Zionist organization.
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. It is not known whether they
still are in custody.
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.
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. The Government
considers militant Islam in particular 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.
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.
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.
For Muslims personal status law on divorce
is based on Shari'a (Islamic law), and some of its provisions
discriminate against women. For example, husbands may claim
adultery as grounds for divorce, but wives face more difficulty
in presenting the same case. If a women requests a divorce
from her husband, she may not be entitled to child support
in some instances. In addition under the law a women loses
the right to custody of boys when they reach age 9 and girls
at age 12. Inheritance for Muslims also is based on Shari'a.
Accordingly Muslim women usually are granted half of the
inheritance share of male heirs. However, Shari'a mandates
that male heirs provide financial support to the female relatives
who inherit less. For example, a brother who inherits an
unmarried sister's share from their parents' estate is obligated
to provide for the sister's well-being. If the brother fails
to do so, she has the right to sue. Polygyny is legal but
it practiced only by a small minority of Muslim men.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
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. These arrests were motivated
primarily by political reasons based on the Government's
view of militant Islamists as potential threats to the stability
of the regime. In November 1999, the Government declared
an amnesty for 600 political prisoners and detainees and
a general pardon for some nonpolitical prisoners. There were
credible reports that several hundred Islamists were among
those political prisoners who benefited from the amnesty,
but it is believed that some remained in custody at the end
of the period covered by this report.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious
conversion, including of minor U.S. 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.
Improvements and Positive Developments
in Respect for Religious Freedom
Following an October 2000 attack by a group
of Palestinians on a synagogue in Damascus (see Section III),
the Government took immediate steps to ensure that the Jewish
community would be protected from further attacks, including
arresting the perpetrators and posting guards around synagogues
and the Jewish quarter of Damascus.
Section III. 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. On October 12, 2000, a group
of Palestinians threw bricks, stones, and Molotov cocktails
at a synagogue in Damascus, apparently in reaction to the
Israeli Government's use of force against Palestinians in
the occupied territories. No one was injured in the attack;
however, the synagogue was damaged slightly and closed for
approximately 1 month. The Government took immediate steps
to ensure that the Jewish community would be protected from
further attacks (see Section II).
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 IV. 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.
In May 2001, the State Department spokesman criticized as
unacceptable and regrettable President Asad's speech during
the Pope's visit, in which he characterized Jews as the betrayers
of Christ and the Prophet Mohammed (see Section II).
The Embassy funded two programs to promote
religious freedom and tolerance during the period covered
by this report. 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 |