A Local Damascus Countryside Council's New Social Regulations

Translation and Overview

So far, initiatives to impose social regulations along the lines of an Islamist outlook have primarily been confined to the provincial and local level. A new set of regulations issued by a municipal council in Damascus countryside is the latest example of this trend. On 8 April, the executive office of the municipal office of Mnin (located north of Damascus city in the al-Tall region) issued a set of social regulations pertaining to, among other topics, blasphemy against Islam, consumption and sale of alcoholic drinks and dress for females and males. Some of the other regulations listed are more reasonable and common-sense (e.g. prohibition on cutting down trees and vandalising public facilities).

A question of note here is whether all the regulations specified actually come within the remit of the municipal council. In the absence of clear new regulations from the transition government, the council cites the Local Administration Law of 2011 (issued by the prior regime) as a basis for its decision-making.

The regulations are translated in full below.