Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is facing a fierce backlash over a controversial crackdown targeting the Sunni Muslim community in the capital. The regime has forcibly shuttered several prominent Sunni mosques in Damascus, a move widely condemned as a deliberate act of sectarian provocation.
The closures are not presented as temporary security measures but are framed by the regime as permanent, with reports indicating that security forces have been deployed to prevent worshippers from gathering. This heavy-handed approach has sent shockwaves through the community, raising fears of a renewed campaign to suppress religious expression.
A Deliberate Strategy to Inflame Tensions
Analysts and local sources suggest these actions are a calculated effort by the Assad regime to consolidate power by exacerbating the country's deep sectarian divides. By targeting core Sunni institutions, the government appears to be punishing communities it perceives as disloyal, a tactic employed since the early days of the civil war.
This strategy effectively transforms places of worship from sanctuaries of peace into political battlegrounds, further destabilising a nation already shattered by years of conflict. The international community has largely remained silent on this specific issue, drawing criticism from human rights organisations.
Echoes of a Painful Past
The forced closures are hauntingly reminiscent of the regime's actions in 2011, when widespread protests began. At that time, the state also moved aggressively to control mosques, which had become focal points for anti-government dissent. This historical parallel suggests a return to the playbook of suppression that ignited the devastating conflict over a decade ago.
For the Sunni majority in Syria, these mosque closures represent more than just a loss of a place to pray; they are a stark symbol of their continued marginalisation and persecution under Assad's rule. The move risks entrenching the sectarian fractures that have defined the Syrian war, making national reconciliation an even more distant prospect.
