(BBC News) Kim Ghattas - Even in secular Syria, religion is becoming more important. More Syrians are going to the mosque, more women are wearing the hijab, and underground women's religious discussion groups are mushrooming. The austere Wahhabi brand of Islam practiced by Osama bin Laden is also growing more popular and clerics are calling for jihad in Iraq and Palestine. For now, the regime is still tolerating the growing Islamist trend in Syria as it diverts people's frustrations towards the outside world - specifically the Israelis and the Americans.
2004-05-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive