Syrian War



Syrian War

Introduction

There are many reasons related to religion and historical borders that are behind the Syrian war. Syria has provided an example of a trend that seems to be rather contradictory in regions of the Arab world. This trend suggests that as feelings related to religion increase and strengthen, it causes secular regimes like Syria and Iraq to get wide Pan-Arab support due to the prevailing politics and the political scenario. However, religious governments in some countries such as Saudi Arabia are not in favor of the fundamentalists and despise them. It is pertinent to note that the awakening related to Islam is not because people have lost faith. People in the region are now more driven towards religion than they were at any other time in the past, and this can be seen in the high number of people attending religious classes. Apart from that, people are now praying regularly and continue to strive to achieve a lifestyle that is religious. However, if Syria is to be considered a model for the region, then a quest for pity would not be categorized as the only driving force according to analysts.

Discussion

There is prevalence of a void that was left when communism collapsed, and Islam is filling that void up. This gap was also deepened when the Pan-Arab nationalism measures failed and a common malaise erupted that caused Arabs to be left searching for their identity. Syria saw the prevalence of a secular system that caused a minority sect of Islam to be in control of a country that had been dominated by Sunni Muslims who were more conservative. However, the death of the leader behind this system caused the regime to weaken. The new leadership strived for legitimacy, opting for an approach that was two-pronged in order to vilify the non-Muslim state of Israel in terms of politics and also the West, while promoting the religion.

The historical factors cannot be avoided while studying the uprising in Syria as the country had defeated a militant Islamic movement less than three decades ago. Then religion was promoted as an antidote to the shortcomings of the regime that were related to political, economic and social factors. On the other hand, the control was in the hands of the police to handle religious movements, and the police was afraid of the Islamic activists as well as the political opposition. The regime could have been easily undermined if the political opposition and the Islamic activists had formed an alliance.

The recent ongoing civil war in Syria, which is called the Syrian uprising, is a conflict that emerged between the Ba'ath Party government's loyal forces and those who were against it. The war started in early 2011 a wide movement of protests started nationwide which is also called the Arab Spring, and included demonstrations taking place nationwide. These protestors were fighting because they wanted Bashar al-Assad, who is the President, to resign from his post. According to them, his resignation would have ended the ...