Syrians begin fasting during first Ramadan without Assad regime

Some restaurants and coffee shops in Syria were closed during the day on Saturday while others opened as usual as observant Muslims began fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, the first since the fall of Assad family rule in the war-torn country.

Syria’s interim Ministry of Religious Endowments reportedly ordered that all restaurants, coffee shops and street food stands be closed during the day and that people must not eat or drink in public or face punishment. Those who violate the rule could get up to three months in jail.

Associated Press journalists who toured Damascus on Saturday said some coffee shops were open but had their windows closed to that people can’t see who is inside.

Rebels led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, overthrew President Bashar Assad’s regime in early December ending the 54 years of Baathist rule. Since then, Syria’s new interim government under Ahmed Al-Sharaa has been in charge of the country, and has pledged Syria will be inclusive for its minorities. 

“Ramadan this year comes with a new flavour. This is the Ramadan of victory and liberation,” said interim Minister of Religious Affairs Hussam Haj-Hussein in a televised statement.

Most countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Kuwait began observing Ramadan on Saturday, while a few other countries such as Malyasia and Japan, as well as some Shia Muslims, will begin the fast on Sunday.

Unlike last year, Lebanese this year are marking Ramadan after the 14-month Israeli war and subsequent ended with a US-brokered ceasefire that went into effect in late November. In the Gaza Strip, a fragile ceasefire deal, which has paused over 15 months of brutal war in the Gaza Strip, nears the end of its first phase.

“This year, after the fall of the regime, there are many confirmations regarding the prohibition of publicly breaking the fast, with violators facing imprisonment,” said Damascus resident Munir Abdallah. “This is something new, good and respectable, meaning that the rituals of Ramadan should be fully observed in all their aspects.”

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons. The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.

The actual start date may vary among Muslim communities due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent has been sighted or different methodologies used to determine the start of the month.

The fast breaking meal is known as iftar and usually family members and friends gather at sunset to have the main meal. Muslims eat a pre-dawn meal, called suhoor to hydrate and nurture their bodies ahead of the daily fast.

Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important feasts.