Syrian authorities’ new limits on alcohol sales in Damascus spark protest, backlash

Crowds of Syrians rally to protest authorities’ efforts to limit the sale and consumption of alcohol in Damascus, reflecting rising anxiety in the cosmopolitan capital that Syria’s new Islamist government may threaten long-held secular freedoms.

Hundreds of residents from a range of religious sects pour into a grassy square in Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, chanting “Syrians are united!” and brandishing signs that urge the government to safeguard personal liberties and religious minorities.

“This is not about whether we want to drink alcohol, this is about personal freedom,” says Isa Qazah, a 45-year-old sculptor from the area who joins the protest along the medieval stone lanes near Damascus’ Old City. “We have come here to defend an idea.”

Heavily armed security forces surround the protesters. The demonstration passes without incident.

The controversy erupted last week, when the governor of Damascus issued a decree banning “the provision of alcoholic beverages of all kinds in restaurants and nightclubs” across the capital. Within three months, it says, restaurants must toss out their wine lists and bar and club owners must trade their licenses for cafe permits.

The decision, which authorities said was made “at the request of the local community,” came as the interim government of former Islamist rebel, and now president, Ahmed al-Sharaa faces growing pressure from hardliners to impose more conservative religious values. Sharaa has not publicly weighed in on the alcohol debate.