State and Islam in Syria: Evolution of Administration Practices in Independence Age

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the dynamics of relations between Syrian political authorities and ‘ulama’ in the period of independent development of the country. The primarily sources of the study were both official Syrian documents and media materials, as well as expert interviews of the author with representatives of the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf and civil society. The research methodology is based on approaches developed within the framework of the theory of social orders, the theory of the economics of religion and the theory of political systems. The article consists of three sections. The first section deals with the methodological problems of studying the relationship between political powers and religious elites in the Arab world. Here I propose a combined research approach. In the second part of the article, I test this approach in the analysis of the dynamics of relations between political authorities and ‘ulama’ in the second half of the 20th century. I show that, on the one hand, there was a gradual integration of the ‘ulama’ into the political system, an increase in the administrative rent received by them and a reduction in the resource rent, which led to a shortage of supply in relations between them and a wide circle of believers. This shortage of supply created opportunities for the promotion of alternative religious leaders. At the same time, despite the gradual strengthening of the government institutions, the ‘ulama’ retained significant independence in relations with the government and did not perceive themself as a simple part of the state apparatus. In the third part of the article, I consider the transformation of relations that have taken place in the context of the armed conflict, and analyze the new role of the Ministry of Awqaf. In conclusion, the question is raised about the independent role of the ‘ulama’ in the Syrian elite and the place of the Ministry in the political system.