Damascus Bans Alcohol Sales in Most Areas, Reverses After Protests

Fears are growing in Syria that President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government seeks to restrict civilian rights and freedoms through a conservative interpretation of Islam.

Local authorities in Damascus recently banned restaurants and bars from selling alcohol in most parts of the city. Venues in majority-Christian neighborhoods could continue sales, but only for takeaway. The decision triggered minor protests across the capital, prompting security forces to restore order.

"What you're seeing is pressure from one part of Syrian society, the clerics and sort of harder-line Islamists who have a vision, an Islamist vision of how Syrian society should be," Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria, told Fox News Digital. Syria's temporary constitution follows Islamic law.

Syria's social affairs minister, Hind Kabawat, a Christian and the only woman in al-Sharaa's cabinet, rejected the notion that alcohol belongs only in Christian areas. "Our neighborhoods are not places for alcohol, but the heart of Damascus," she said in a Facebook post. "The strength of our nation is in its diversity, and any radical, extremist voice will cause our nation's weakness," she added.

Damascus authorities reversed the ban amid backlash, permitting alcohol purchases in tourism hotspots like hotels and select restaurants.

The change marks a sharp break for Damascus residents, where alcohol flowed freely in bars and restaurants for decades, even under Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian rule.

"Steps like these, which restrict freedoms in Syria, are worrying. When they have occurred far from Damascus, the central government can argue that it lacks sufficient control. But it is particularly meaningful to see such steps in Damascus since President al-Sharaa dominates there," Mara Karlin, a former Defense Department official and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Fox News Digital. "If he is pushing an Islamist Syria, then it calls into question how much he is moving beyond his history," Karlin added.

Al-Sharaa, who led the Islamist rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham to victory over Assad, has pursued international outreach since taking power. He visited foreign capitals and worked to rejoin the global community. President Trump endorsed al-Sharaa after their meetings in Riyadh in May 2025 and at the White House in November 2025, the first such visit by a Syrian leader since independence in 1946.

Karlin, who testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February on post-Assad challenges, said the government includes former jihadists who have acted pragmatically so far. Their control outside Damascus remains weak, however. She pointed to troubling restrictions on women's freedoms that warrant scrutiny for signs of ideology.

Ford, the last U.S. ambassador in Damascus in 2011, said al-Sharaa is no democrat and favors an Islamist vision, though he has restrained it since toppling Assad in 2024. Local officials imposing such rules answer to al-Sharaa and share his views.

Critics say the alcohol restrictions could damage Syria's post-conflict recovery, especially as al-Sharaa seeks economic reintegration and tourism revival. The World Bank puts reconstruction costs at $216 billion after 14 years of civil war. Syria's tourism minister said $100 million is needed over seven years for that sector.

Alcohol is not the sole target. Officials in Latakia banned women from wearing makeup at work in February. A town near Damascus barred men from female clothing stores to protect public decency.

Ford called these local rules a concern but an internal matter for Syrians to resolve regarding religion's role after Assad.