Preventing a religious activity in Damascus raises widespread controversy
Accusations of restricting religious activity and demands to explain the reasons for preventing an event related to the hijab in “Sham City Center”
Quick Look
Preventing a religious event in Damascus' Sham City Center sparked widespread controversy, as the organizing campaign accused the authorities of interfering and preventing the activity on the grounds that the clothes presented were "foreign to Syria," while opinions were divided over the nature of organizational controls for public events.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The campaign was planning to hold an event at Cham City Center that would include distributing clothes and gifts related to the hijab.
According to the campaign’s account, the person responsible for its activities in Damascus received a call from Bayraktar in which he asked her to attend, while threatening, according to what the campaign reported, that her file would be referred to the Ministry of Interior in the event of no response.
During the meeting, the official and the campaign team demanded clarification of the reasons for preventing the event, to inform them, according to their narration, that the clothing provided by the campaign as part of its activities “is not the clothing of the people of the Levant” and that it is “foreign to Syria.” The campaign indicated that it tried to clarify the background of the fashions used and the history of the hijab in Syria, but the rejection decision remained in place.
The event was scheduled to be held inside the "Cham City Center" after the approval of the complex's management. The campaign said that it had begun its preparations to organize an activity that includes providing clothes and gifts related to the hijab, in addition to entertainment and photography segments, stressing that participation was optional and did not include any kind of obligation.
For his part, Hani Dahab, known as “Sheikh Al-Dhahabi,” escalated his tone towards the decision, threatening to publish the name of the party and the official who prevented the campaign’s activity, after he confirmed that what happened was not the first incident in which the campaign faced objections to its activities.
The decision sparked a division on social media, between supporters of the campaign who considered that banning the event represents a restriction on religious activity, and others who saw that events held in commercial centers are subject to regulatory and administrative controls, and that the presence of approval from the complex’s management does not necessarily mean bypassing the required government procedures or approvals. The campaign confirmed that it will not stop its activity, and that it will continue to organize its events in other places.
Open Questions
- What is the official body that issued the ban?
- Are there specific laws governing the nature of clothing at public events?
