407 Alejandra Álvarez Suárez The collapse of order... Finally conservative Sunni declared their indignation in regards to the religious politics carried out by France in the mandatory states, which was structured in two Decrees that entered into effect in 1936 and 193833 within the negotiations context that were maintained with the pro-independence Syrian National Bloc (al-kutla al-wahaniyya) which enjoyed a large majority in the Assembly. Therefore French needed to assure its interests in the area by promoting the religious divisions in order to justify their presence as protectors of minorities.34 Without going into specific aspects within those Decrees it should be underline that Heads of State established in those which were the religious communities with full legal rights as well as a list of groups which currently exists and that excludes Yazidis, Jehovah Witnesses, and other religious minorities. In addition to that they decreed that all citizens, Muslims included, could freely change religions, which truly contradicted the basic principles of šarīca. These modifications triggered the rejection of many religious leaders from both Christian and Muslim sides. All without any exception felt subordinated to the Civil Power. Furthermore the fact that the new regulations would considered the Sunni Islam to have equal status to other groups, within the list of religious communities, meant an offense to the most conservative member in this confession who interpreted that as a new affront against the Muslim conception of State.35 The influential Association of Ulemas declared in a signed document in 1939 that the new regulations were against God´s Law when allowing marriages between Muslim and no-Muslims therefore facilitating the Islam’s´ Apostasy or the presence of individuals without any concrete religion. The street protests and disturbances that were caused by this initiative resulted in an inoperative rule at least temporarily.36 1963-2014: THE MAINTENANCE OF A CONFLICT The Independence meant the victory of a typical Syrian nationalist ideal, which advocated the Arab unity regardless any religious differences that date back to the end of the Ottoman Empire which had developed with Faysal an under The Mandate.37 33 Cf. Journal Officiel de la République Syrienne ORS X/13-3-1936, Arrêté nº. 60/L.R., 93-94 e Ibid. XLVII/29-12-1938, Arrêté nº. 146/L.R., 291-292. 34 Cf. Benjamin Thomas, “The Nation-State form and the Emergence of ‘Minorities’ in Syria”, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 7/1 (2007), 64-85. 35 Cf. Philip S. Khoury, Syria and the French Mandate. The Politics of the Arab Nationalism, 1920- 1945, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1987, 576. 36 H, Cf. Benjamin Thomas White, “Addressing the State: The Syrian ´Ulama´ Protest Personal Status Law Reform, 1939”, International Journal of Middle East Studies 42 (2010), 10-12. 37 Cf. Raymond Hinnebusch, Syria, Revolution from Above, Londres: Rouledge 2001, 19. http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
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