Damascus marks first Ramadan in decades free from Assad family rule

Damascenes are experiencing the first Holy Month of Ramadan without the al-Assad family in more than five decades. Bashar al-Assad, who took over from his father Hafez, was the last of the family to lead the country.

He was overthrown in a dramatic rebel coup, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, in early December.

Some restaurants and coffee shops remained open, while most were closed as observant Muslim embarked on the first day of a month of fasting and prayer.

Syria’s interim Ministry of Religious Endowments reportedly ordered that all restaurants, coffee shops and street food stands be closed during the day, and barred public eating and drinking. They’ve also imposed penalties which include financial fines and up to three months imprisonment.

“This year, after the fall of the regime, there are many confirmations regarding the prohibition of publicly breaking the fast, with violators facing imprisonment,” says Munir Abdallah, a resident of the Syrian capital.

“This is something new, good, and respectable, meaning that the rituals of Ramadan should be fully observed in all their aspects,” he added.

Another resident hailed the measure noting that it brings back the original feeling of Ramadan. He also noted that last year, under the Assad rule, everything was open, and it didn’t represent the significance of the holy month to Muslims.

“Before the fall (of Assad’s regime), last Ramadan, it didn’t even feel like Ramadan. You couldn’t really tell. But now, it’s obvious. Restaurants are closed, people aren’t openly breaking their fast,” says Mohammad Kousa.

“You can see that no one is smoking, and no one is casually eating in the streets. Before, we barely felt it was Ramadan.”

There are concerns however that the Syria, under Ahmed al-Sharaa’s – former HTS leader – leadership could turn the country into an Islamic state.

“Ramadan this year comes with a new flavour. This is the Ramadan of victory and liberation,” said interim Minister of Religious Affairs Hussam Haj-Hussein in a televised statement.

Al-Sharaa has previously assured world leaders after his rise to power – in an interim capacity – that he will respect Syria’s many religions and sects, and not impede on anyone’s personal freedoms or impose religious governance on the public.

There are fears the harsh consequences imposed on violating Ramadan traditions may lead people to abstain from eating or drinking in public out of fear of reprisal.

Most countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Syria and Kuwait began observing Ramadan on Saturday. A few other countries, including Malaysia and Japan will begin the holy month on Sunday.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and its start date traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon. Muslims observing Ramadan fast from sunrise to sunset,  in an act of worship, and empathising with those less fortunate.

Those fasting typically consume a pre-dawn meal known as the “suhoor”, and break their fast after sundown with a meal known as “iftar”, which in Arabic means ‘breakfast’.