(New York Times) Kareem Fahim - Syria is moving to curb the influence of Muslim conservatives in its mosques, public universities and charities. The government has asked imams for recordings of their Friday sermons and started to strictly monitor religious schools. This summer, more than 1,000 teachers who wear the niqab, or the face veil, were transferred to administrative duties. The crackdown is an effort by President Bashar al-Assad to reassert Syria's traditional secularism in the face of rising threats from radical groups in the region, Syrian officials say.
2010-09-07 10:47:55Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive