Bashar al-Assad is encouraging a wider range of religions
For over a half century the Assad dynasty has allied its own Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, with Syria’s myriad religious minorities in order to bolster the regime’s dominance over the country’s Sunni Muslim majority. But lately he has enabled other denominations to spread their roots. As well as encouraging yoga, he has let evangelical Christians open churches in houses where converted Muslims can worship. He has even encouraged Jews of Syrian origin to visit Damascus, the capital.
The Syrian Centre for Yoga and Meditation, based in the coastal city of Latakia, says yoga centres have more than quadrupled since the war began in 2011. The sports ministry provides them with football pitches for yoga practice. The number of Christians belonging to long-established denominations in Syria has plummeted from around 2.5m before the war to some 500,000 today, according to a Christian delegation that recently visited Damascus.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Birth wants to 'quell your loneliness' by making a friend from organsAdventure puzzle game Birth, which wants you to 'build your special friend' from bones and organs, comes to Xbox later this month.
Read more »
Ricciardo wants his Red Bull seat, so will Perez sink or swim?Red Bull’s decision to reinstate Daniel Ricciardo on the F1 grid with sister team AlphaTauri ramps up the pressure on Sergio Perez and could impact the careers of three drivers.
Read more »
Mount reflects on Man United debut as Cundy says he wants ex-Chelsea man to failJason Cundy wants to see ex-Chelsea star Mason Mount flop at Manchester United as watching him represent the Red Devils made him sad. Mount made his unofficial debut for his new club on Wednesday i…
Read more »
York council aims to scrap blue badge parking ban by end of yearYork council's deputy leader says he wants the ban removed 'as soon as possible'.
Read more »
Tyson Fury could KO Francis Ngannou in one round if he wants to, insists Carl FramptonCarl Frampton believes Tyson Fury will have an easy night when he comes up against Francis Ngannou. The current WBC heavyweight champion Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou will clash …
Read more »
Councillor wants test results from Ironbridge landfill site made publicA councillor has called for test results from a former landfill site to be made public, amid concerns that toxic waste could be leaking into the nearby Ironbridge Gorge world heritage site.
Read more »