Religion in Syria
Religion in Syria refers to the range of
The majority of Syrians are
Islam
Sunnis
The largest religious group in Syria are Sunni Muslims, who make up about 74% of the population,
Sunnis follow nearly all occupations, belong to all social groups and nearly every political party, and live in all parts of the country. There are only three governorates in which they are not a majority: Al-Suwayda, where Druzes predominate, Latakia, where Alawis are a majority, and Tartus, where Alawis are also a majority. In Al Hasakah, Sunni Kurds rather than Arabs form a majority.
Of the four major schools of Islamic law, represented in Syria are the
According to the US government's 2012 International Religious Freedom Report, the government of Syria was increasingly targeting members of faith groups it deemed a threat. The report said the Sunni majority is the primary persecuted group.[6]
Arabs
Arab Sunnis form the largest Sunni Muslim community in the country.[9] They form a majority of Sunnis in all districts of the country except for the Al-Hasakah Governorate.[9]
In 1991, Professor
Although the majority of Sunni Syrians are considered "Arabs", this is a term based on spoken language (Arabic), not ethnicity. Some Muslim minorities in Syria have been
Kurds
The
In 1979, Dr. Nikolaos van Dam said that the Syrian Kurds formed 8.5% of the population and were almost exclusively Sunni Muslims.[5] In 1991, Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch also said that approximately 8.5% of the country was formed of Sunni Muslim Kurds.[4] More recently, Dr. Pierre Beckouche said that before 2011 the Sunni Muslim Kurds formed 9–10% of the country's total population.[3]
Turkmens
The Turkish-speaking Turkmen/Turkoman are the third largest ethnic group in the country (around 4%–5% in 2013) and are mainly Sunni Muslims.[11] They mainly live in the urban centres and countryside of the following six governorates: the Aleppo Governorate, the Damascus Governorate, the Homs Governorate, the Hama Governorate, the Latakia Governorate and the Quneitra Governorate.[11]
In 1979, Dr. Nikolaos van Dam claimed that the Syrian Turkmen/Turkoman (forming 3% of the population) were almost exclusively Sunni Muslims.[5] By 1991 Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch also said that approximately 3% of the country was formed of Sunni Muslim Turkmen/Turkoman.[4] More recently, Dr. Pierre Beckouche said that before 2011 the Sunni Muslim Turkmen/Turkoman formed 4% of the country's population.[3]
However, the Sunni Turkmen population is believed to be considerably higher if
Circassians
Most
In 1991, Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch said that less than 1% of the country was formed of Sunni Muslim Circassians.[4]
Shias
Other Muslims in the country, who do not practice
Alawites
The Alawites are the second largest religious group in Syria, after the
In 1991, Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch said that approximately Alawites formed 11.5% of the country's population.[4] More recently, Dr. Pierre Beckouche said that 11% of the country's population was Alawites.[3]
The Alawites mainly live in the
A third of the 250,000 Alawite men of military age have been killed fighting in the
Ismailis
The
They mainly in live in two governorates: in the
Twelvers
The
In Damascus, there are Twelvers/Imamis living near to the Shia pilgrimage sites, especially in the
Alevis
In northern Syria, there are some Kurdish and Turkmen
Druze
The
There are many Syrian Druze also living abroad, particularly in Latin America, who have been living there for over the past hundred years.[17] In Venezuela alone, there are approximately half a million Druze of Syrian origin.[17]
Christianity
The Christian communities of Syria in 2011 accounted for about 5-6% of the population. The country's largest Christian denomination was the
In 2012, Christians were split into five traditions. A primary distinguishing feature is acceptance or otherwise of the 3rd and 4th Ecumenical Councils of 431 and 451, which concerned the precise relationship of the human and divine natures of Christ. The traditions are:
The Syriacs reject the 4th Council, denying being
The total number of Christians before 2011, not including
The vast majority of Christians belong to the Eastern communions, which have existed in Syria since the earliest days of Christianity. The
Christian population in Syria has significantly diminished due to the departure of many Christians from the country amidst the
With the exception of the Armenians and Assyrians, most Syrian Christians identify ethnically as Arab Christians. Many Christians, particularly the Eastern Orthodox, have joined the Arab nationalist movement and some are changing their Aramaic or Westernized names to Arabic ones. Syrian Christians participate higher proportionally speaking in political and administrative affairs than do Muslims. Especially among the young, relations between Christians and Muslims are improving.
There are several social differences between Christians and Muslims. For example, Syrian Christians are more highly urbanized than Muslims; many live either in or around Damascus, Aleppo,
The presence of the Christian communities is expressed also by the presence of many
Judaism
Most
Syrian Jews
In Syria, Jews of both origins numbered altogether fewer than 3,000 in 1987. The government treated the Jews as a religious community and not as a racial group. Official documents referred to them as musawiyin (followers of Moses) and not yahudin (Jews). The synagogues of the Jewish community had a protected status by the Syrian government.
In 2020, there were no known Jews left in the country.[6]
Israeli Jews
The Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as part of Syria, has been occupied and governed by Israel since the Six-Day War. It has resulted in the region being settled by an influx of Israeli Jews who have become the overall majority. In 2010, the Jewish settlers had expanded to 20,000[29] living in 32 settlements.[30][31]
Yazidis
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the
In 1964, there were about 10,000 Yazidis in Syria, primarily in the Jazirah and northwest of Aleppo; population data were not available in 1987. Once seminomadic, most Yazidis now are settled; they have no great chiefs and, although generally Kurdish-speaking or Arabic speaking, gradually are being assimilated into the surrounding Arab population.
Yazidis generally refuse to discuss their faith which, in any case, is known fully to only a few among them. The Yazidi religion has elements of Mesopotamian religions.
Folk spiritual beliefs
In addition to the beliefs taught by the organized religions, many people believe strongly in powers of good and evil and in the efficacy of local saints. The former beliefs are especially marked among the
Unorthodox religious beliefs of this kind are probably more common among women than men. Because they are excluded by the social separation of the sexes from much of the formal religious life of the community, women attempt to meet their own spiritual needs through informal and unorthodox religious beliefs and practices, which are passed on from generation to generation.[citation needed]
Hinduism
There were 2,041 (0.01%) Hindus in Syria in 2010 according to ARDA.[32] In 2020, the portion was still 0.01%.[33]
Census statistics
There has been no official census on Religion in Syria since the sixties.
Religion in Syria | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1943[34] | % of population | 1953[35] | % of population | |||||||
Sunni Muslims
|
1 971 053 | 68,91 | 2 578 810 | 70,54 | ||||||
Alawites | 325 311 | 11,37 | 398 445 | 10,90 | ||||||
Ismailis
|
28 527 | 1,00 | 36 745 | 1,01 | ||||||
Shia Muslims
|
12 742 | 0,44 | 14 887 | 0,41 | ||||||
Druzes
|
87 184 | 3,05 | 113 318 | 3,10 | ||||||
Yazidis | 2 788 | 0,10 | 3 082 | 0,08 | ||||||
Jews | 29 770 | 1,04 | 31 647 | 0,87 | ||||||
Greek Orthodox
|
136 957 | 4,79 | 168 747 | 4,62 | ||||||
Greek Catholics | 46 733 | 1,63 | 55 880 | 1,53 | ||||||
Armenians | Armenian Orthodox | 101 747 | 3,56 | 110 594 | 3,03 | |||||
Armenian Catholics | 16 790 | 0,59 | 19 492 | 0,53 | ||||||
Total Armenians | 118 537 | 4,15 | 130 086 | 3,56 | ||||||
Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriacs | Syriac Orthodox | 40 135 | 1,40 | 51 363 | 1,40 | |||||
Syriac Catholics | 16 247 | 0,57 | 19 738 | 0,54 | ||||||
Nestorians | 9 176 | 0,32 | 11 176 | 0,31 | ||||||
Chaldeans | 4 719 | 0,16 | 5 492 | 0,15 | ||||||
Total Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriacs | 70 277 | 2,45 | 87 769 | 2,40 | ||||||
Maronites | 13 349 | 0,47 | 16 530 | 0,45 | ||||||
Latin Catholics | 5 996 | 0,21 | 6 749 | 0,18 | ||||||
Protestants | 11 187 | 0,39 | 13 209 | 0,36 | ||||||
Total Christians | 403 036 | 14,09 | 478 970 | 13,10 | ||||||
Total | 2 860 411 | 100,00 | 3 655 904 | 100,00 |
- 1960[37] unofficial census with religious data:
- Sunni Muslims: 75%
- Alawites: 11%
- Ismailis 1%
- Druzes: 3%
- Sunni Muslims: 75%
- Total Muslims: 92.1% (4,053,349)
- Total Christians: 7.8% (344,621)
- Jews: 0.1% (4,860)
- Other: 0% (342)
- Total: 100% (4,403,172)
In the next census of 1970, the religion statistics were no longer mentioned.
Religion and law
In matters of personal status, such as
Although the faiths theoretically enjoy equal legal status, to some extent Islam is favored. Despite guarantees of
Freedom of religion in the 2020s
In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom,[39] with the government controlling the appointment of Muslim religious leaders, restricted proselytizing, a ban on conversion of Muslims and active terror threats.
In the same year, the country was ranked as the 12th most difficult place in the world to be a Christian.[40]
See also
References
- ^ "Syria". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Khalifa, Mustafa (2013), "The impossible partition of Syria", Arab Reform Initiative, archived from the original on 2016-10-09, retrieved 2018-08-02
- ^ ISBN 978-1786431493,
Before 2011, Syria's population was 74% Sunni Muslim, including 500,000 Palestinians and non-Arab populations, that is Kurds (9-10%) and Turkmen (4%). Other Muslims, including Shias and Alawites (11% of the Syrian population)...Various Christian denominations made up 10%. There were a few Jewish communities in Aleppo and Damascus as well as 1500 people of Greek descent and small Armenians populations.
- ^ ISBN 0876091052,
roughly 85 percent of all Syrians are Arabic-speaking and some 70 percent are Sunni Muslim, but these categories are not completely congruent and Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims account for less than 60 percent of the total population. The religious and ethnic minorities that comprise 40 percent of Syria's population are diverse. Although nearly 90 percent of all Syrians are Muslim and almost all the rest are Christian, both communities are subdivided into many sects. Among the former, the main minorities are the Alawis (11.5 percent), Druzes (3 percent) and Isma'ilis (1.5 percent), all of whom are Arabic-speaking splinter Shiite groups. The largely Arab Christians are divided among a large number of denominations, with the Greek Orthodox the largest (4.7 percent). The main ethnic minorities, among whom Arabic is now widely used, are the Kurds (8.5 percent), Armenians (4 percent), Turcomans (3 percent), and Circassians (under 1 percent). Of these, all but the Christian Armenians are Sunni Muslim.
- ^ ISBN 9780856647031
- ^ a b c d US State Dept 2022 report
- ^ "Syria (CIA Factbook)". 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Khalifa 2013, 6.
- ^ a b Khalifa 2013, 3.
- ^ a b Khalifa 2013, 3–5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Khalifa 2013, 4.
- ^ Sherlock, Ruth (7 April 2015). "In Syria's war, Alawites pay heavy price for loyalty to Bashar al-Assad". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Khalifa 2013, 7.
- ^ January 9, 2013. "Report: Hizbullah Training Shiite Syrians to Defend Villages against Rebels". Naharnet. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "DerStandard.at". Archived from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
- ^ "Tek suçları Alevi olmak..." www.odatv4.com (in Turkish). 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d Khalifa 2013, 6–7.
- ISBN 9781788315593.
- ISBN 9781906999254.
[Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim
- ^ "Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are". Arab America. Arab America. 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ISBN 9781135980795.
Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.
- ISBN 9780199862634.
While they appear parallel to those of normative Islam, in the Druze religion they are different in meaning and interpretation. The religion is considered distinct from the Ismaili as well as from other Muslims belief and practice... Most Druze consider themselves fully assimilated in American society and do not necessarily identify as Muslims..
- ISBN 9780030525964.
Theologically, one would have to conclude that the Druze are not Muslims. They do not accept the five pillars of Islam. In place of these principles the Druze have instituted the seven precepts noted above..
- ^ Samir Abdoh, "[1] Archived 2022-11-30 at the Wayback Machine", Christian Denominations in Syria, year 2003, p.33
- ^ al-Salem, Majd (22 June 2023). "Emigration empties Qamishli of its Christian people". Enab Baladi. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Syria". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024.
the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war
- ^ "Syria's Christian population reduced by two-thirds since 2011: party". rudaw. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021.
- ^ Why Do So Few Christian Syrian Refugees Register With The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees? Archived 2018-08-29 at the Wayback Machine, Marwan Kreidie: Adjunct Professor of Political Science, West Chester University.
- ^ Regions and territories: The Golan Heights Archived 2011-04-15 at the Wayback Machine BBC
- ^ Oudat, Basel.Shouting in the hills Archived 2009-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, Al-Ahram Weekly, 12–18 June 2008. Issue No. 901.
- ^ "Population by District, Sub-District and Religion". Statistical Abstract of Israel, no. 60. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
- ^ "Most Hindu Nations (2010)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2010. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-28
- ^ a b Hourani, Albert Habib (1947). Minorities in the Arab World. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 76.
- ^ Annales de géographie, Année 1955, Vol. 64, n° 341, p.75
- ^ Balanche, Fabrice (2018). "Sectarianism in Syria's Civil War: A Geopolitical Study". WINEP. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
- ISBN 9782709905008 table p.9
- ^ "Syria Kurds challenging traditions, promote civil marriage". ARA News. 2016-02-20. Archived from the original on 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
- ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.
Further reading
- Marcel Stüssi, Models of Religious Freedom: Switzerland, the United States, and Syria by Analytical, Methodological, and Eclectic Representation, 2012, p. 375 ff.