Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree eliminating the post of top Muslim cleric for the country and expanding the powers of a government ministry overseeing religious affairs.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The new decree, which state media said came into effect on Monday, effectively forces Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, appointed as grand mufti by Assad in 2004, into retirement.
His prerogatives will be folded into a council that falls under the ministry of religious endowments, or waqf, which already oversees Islamic affairs in Syria, the official SANA news agency said.
The Council on Islamic Jurisprudence will from now on determine the lunar calendar and make rulings on matters relating to religious rituals and rites, SANA said.
The news agency did not elaborate on the reasons behind the move but it comes after years of government efforts to expand state oversight of religious affairs.
In 2018, Assad issued a decree limiting the mufti’s term, previously unlimited, to a renewable period of three years.
It also expanded the power of the waqf minister, allowing him to name the mufti, who had previously been appointed by the president.
The legislation sparked controversy, with many on social media saying it was state interference in religious affairs.
Others said it was a way to regulate religious discourse in order to “fight extremism”.
Read more:
US hid an airstrike that killed 70 women, children in Syria in 2019: Report
Syria signs agreement with UAE firms to build 300 megawatt power station
UAE's renewed diplomacy with Syria could lead to more Arab overtures
Also Read
-
US hid an airstrike that killed 70 women, children in Syria in 2019: Report
The US military hid an airstrike in which it bombed a large crowd of women and children in Syria’s Baghuz town, killing dozens, during the last days ... Middle East -
Syria signs agreement with UAE firms to build 300 megawatt power station
Syria has signed a deal with United Arab Emirates firms for the construction of a solar power plant near Damascus, state media said Thursday, in a ... Middle East -
UAE's renewed diplomacy with Syria could lead to more Arab overtures
A visit by the United Arab Emirates' top diplomat this week may have turned a page for Syria's embattled autocratic president, enabling more Arab ... Gulf
