Syrians protest curbs on alcohol sales in Damascus
DW.com • • world
Key Points:
- Protesters in Damascus rallied against a recent ban on alcohol sales in restaurants and bars, imposed by the capital's governor with a three-month compliance deadline.
- The ban exempts shops in three predominantly Christian neighborhoods, allowing sealed take-away alcohol sales, but prohibits on-site consumption and restricts proximity to mosques, schools, police stations, and government offices.
- Demonstrators emphasized the issue as one of personal freedom, amid broader concerns about increasing social restrictions by Islamist authorities, including modest swimwear mandates and bans on makeup for female public workers.
- President Ahmed al-Sharaa's interim government faces pressure from religious hard-liners to enforce conservative Islamic values, despite his previous commitments to pluralism and minority protections.
- Damascus authorities apologized to the Christian community for any misunderstandings, clarified that hotels are exempt from the ban, and stated that alcohol regulation is common worldwide with varying enforcement.
