Brief alcohol ban in Damascus sparks concerns about President al-Sharaa's vision for Syria

There are increasing fears among immoderate successful Syria that the authorities of President Ahmed al-Sharaa has the purpose of clamping down connected the rights and freedoms of its civilians by promoting a much blimpish mentation of Islam.

Local authorities successful Syria’s capital, Damascus, precocious banned restaurants and bars from selling intoxicant successful astir parts of the city. Only venues successful the majority-Christian neighborhoods of Damascus would beryllium allowed to proceed to merchantability alcohol, but lone for takeaway. The determination sparked insignificant protests passim the capital, with information forces sent successful to support order. 

"What you're seeing is unit from 1 portion of Syrian society, the clerics and benignant of harder-line Islamists who person a vision, an Islamist imaginativeness of however Syrian nine should be," Robert Ford, erstwhile ambassador to Syria, told Fox News Digital. Syria's impermanent constitution is guided by Islamic law.

EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS US MUST PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS

Christians stitchery to observe Christmas astatine the Monastery of Our Lady of Saydnaya successful Syria connected Dec. 24, 2024. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Syria’s societal affairs minister, Hind Kabawat, a Christian and the lone pistillate successful al-Sharaa’s cabinet, pushed backmost connected the thought that intoxicant tin lone beryllium consumed successful Christian neighborhoods.

"Our neighborhoods are not places for alcohol, but the bosom of Damascus," she said successful a Facebook post.  

"The spot of our federation is successful its diversity, and immoderate radical, extremist dependable volition origin our nation's weakness," she added.

In effect to the outcry, Damascus authorities walked backmost the ban, saying that intoxicant purchases could stay successful places important for tourism, specified arsenic hotels and definite restaurants.

The determination is simply a important departure for mundane Syrians surviving successful Damascus, wherever intoxicant was readily disposable successful bars and restaurants for decades, adjacent nether the authoritarian and oppressive regularisation of erstwhile dictator Bashar al-Assad.

SYRIA GRANTED SANCTIONS WAIVER BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO ENCOURAGE REBUILDING

"Steps similar these, which restrict freedoms successful Syria, are worrying. When they person occurred acold from Damascus, the cardinal authorities tin reason that it lacks capable control. But it is peculiarly meaningful to spot specified steps successful Damascus since President al-Sharaa dominates there," Mara Karlin, a erstwhile Department of Defense authoritative and prof astatine Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), told Fox News Digital.

"If helium is pushing an Islamist Syria, past it calls into question however overmuch helium is moving beyond his history," Karlin added.

Al-Sharaa, who led the Islamist rebel radical Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to triumph implicit Assad, has been connected an planetary charm violative since taking power, visiting overseas capitals and reintegrating Syria into the planetary community.

The Eagles of Antioch protestation successful Damascus pursuing the burning of a Christmas histrion by extremists during Christmas 2024. (Obtained by Fox News)

President Trump adjacent endorsed al-Sharaa, who archetypal met with him successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, successful May 2025 and again successful November 2025 erstwhile Trump hosted him astatine the White House, the archetypal clip a Syrian person had visited the White House since the state gained independency successful 1946.

Karlin, who testified earlier the House Foreign Affairs Committee successful February connected the challenges facing Syria aft the autumn of Assad, said that, portion the Syrian authorities does see erstwhile jihadists, they person been mostly pragmatic and non-ideological successful their governance.

She noted, however, that their scope beyond Damascus is anemic and limited.

"There person been immoderate troubling instances of restrictions connected women’s freedom, for example, and indicators specified arsenic these merit adjacent scrutiny for grounds of the Syrian government’s power and ideology."

TRUMP ORDERS COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL TROOPS FROM SYRIA WITHIN TWO MONTHS: REPORT

President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa astatine the White House connected Nov. 10, 2025. (Syrian Presidency/Anadolu)

Ford, who was the past U.S. ambassador successful Damascus successful 2011, stressed that al-Sharaa is not a politician and astir apt would similar to enforce parts of an Islamist imaginativeness connected Syria, but has truthful acold held backmost since overthrowing the Assad authorities successful 2024.

The ordinances successful Damascus and elsewhere are imposed by section officials, but these officials are straight tied to the authorities and are loyal to al-Sharaa and apt enactment an Islamist imaginativeness for Syria.

Some interest the prohibition connected intoxicant could harm Syria’s fragile post-conflict reconstruction, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile al-Sharaa is trying to reintegrate Syria into the satellite system and rebuild the country’s tourism sector.

The World Bank estimated Syria’s reconstruction costs are astir $216 cardinal aft astir 14 years of civilian war. Syria’s curate of tourism antecedently said the state volition request astatine slightest $100 cardinal implicit the adjacent 7 years to rebuild the tourism industry.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Alcohol isn’t the lone people of immoderate section authorities successful Syria. Officials successful the larboard metropolis of Latakia successful February banned women from wearing constitution astatine work. Another municipality extracurricular Damascus prohibited men from moving successful pistillate covering stores to uphold nationalist decency.

Ford said though immoderate of the section ordinances are a origin for concern, it is simply a home issue, and Syrians volition person to find the relation of religion successful post-Assad Syria.

THE Associated Press contributed to this article.