Crowds took to the streets of Damascus on Sunday to protest efforts to limit alcohol sales and consumption after the capital’s governor last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars across the city. Establishments have been given three months to comply. Authorities said the decision was made “at the request of the local community.”
An exemption was granted to shops in three predominantly Christian neighborhoods, allowing them to sell alcohol only in sealed take-away bottles. Those stores may not serve alcohol on site and must remain at least 75 meters from mosques and schools and 20 meters from police stations and government offices.
Heavily armed security forces surrounded and monitored the demonstration, which passed without incident. “This is not about whether we want to drink alcohol, this is about personal freedom,” sculptor Isa Qazah, 45, told AP. Television writer Rami Koussa, 37, told AFP that “this type of decision will not stand.”
The protests reflect growing fears that Islamist authorities might further curtail personal freedoms after decrees on “modest” swimwear for public beaches nationwide and a ban on makeup for female public sector workers in Latakia province.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel who now leads the interim government, has not publicly commented on the alcohol debate. His administration has so far been cautious about imposing social restrictions but faces mounting pressure from hard-liners to enforce more conservative Islamic values. Syria has also seen several instances of deadly sectarian violence despite al-Sharaa’s pledges to unite the country, respect pluralism and protect minorities.
Damascus authorities issued a late Saturday statement apologizing to the city’s Christian population “for any misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the decision” and clarified that hotels will be exempt from the restrictions. “This decision does not interfere with citizens’ personal freedoms,” the statement said, adding that regulation of alcohol sales exists in all countries, with differences in how it is applied and enforced.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah