Document 25618: Praying, Beards, and the Regime’s Secret Red Lines

(Zaman al-Wasl) Document 25618 from the military intelligence documents was stamped with the phrase “highly confidential,” although most Syrians are familiar with the document’s content. On the date 29/09/2009, the military intelligence branch in Idlib (branch 271) directed this document to the principle administrative branch of the military intelligence (branch 291). 

The document listed the names of military and civilian personnel who engaged in “religious practices,” within the field of branch 271’s work, and the list was composed of 8 names who were all employees in the military housing institution as laborers and all subject to “local observation.”

Under the category of status, the “does not perform his prayers in his unit,” was written. Under the category of general information, “normally religious and bearded,” was stated. 

The first phrase indicates that of religious activity prayer was specifically concerned, and that praying at work is something dangerous, forbidden and important enough to be included under the category of status. The second phase indicates that having a beard regardless of its shape is enough for the regime to suspect the person and place him under observation.

All of Syria’s five constitutions starting with the constitution of 1920 and ending with the constitution of 2012, dictate that the religion of the president of the country must be Islam, the term Islam appears more than once in the constitution texts, and prayer is one of the pillars of Islam; however, based on the circulars and al-Assad orders, written and verbal, praying is a dangerous and at times forbidden practice. 

Document 25618 of the year 2009, is but one document among many concerning prayer and beards identifying them as red lines, significant threatens to the security of the country, and “debilitating to the spirit of the country,” as demonstrated in judicial sentences issued against regime opposition figures. 

The al-Assad regime’s obsession with fighting prayer and monitoring people who pray or have beard was reflected in almost 45 years of contradictions and “surreality” which Syrians were unable to understand. On the one hand, al-Assad was to a large degree, forgiving with regards to building mosques and even promoting courses for Quran memorization which he called “al-Assad’s centers.” 

On the other side, he fought the praying for which the mosques were built and in which the very verses of the Quran perhaps studied in the al-Assad centers were repeated. 

To complete the image of contradictions, Syrians who were called on for investigation because of their prayers knew that the president appeared on televised broadcasts praying during important Islamic events. 

These same Syrians were familiar with his welcoming of those he referred to as the patrons of religious messages, and his orations before them including his oration on 10/04/1991 in which he repeated the term Islam and its derivatives 25 times to then defend “fundamentalism” which prayer is considered its root origin. He is recorded saying, “fundamentalism is holding on to Islam, and Islam is good, peaceful and loving.”

Although the document is small in size, its content is broad and describes a part of Syrian people’s suffering from the hypocrisy and quackery throughout the years of the dictatorship which they waited out patiently until the cup overflowed.