Mixed Reactions in Idlib to Public Decency Law Plan

Northern Syria – The proposed public decency law introduced by the opposition’s Rescue Government operating in areas under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in northwest Syria has sparked mixed reactions in Idlib, ranging from welcoming the law as a means to strengthen community values to opposition and rejection, viewing it as a restriction on public freedoms.

The law encompasses a set of rules and regulations related to the moral and behavioral conduct of individuals and society, including 128 articles. The key provisions entail the establishment of a public decency police force, enforcement of headscarves for girls over 12 years old, prohibition of playing music in public places, and segregation of genders in the workplace.

The new law prohibits musical instruments and visual performances, noise pollution, smoking in public and service institutions, and enclosed public facilities. It mandates the employment of female staff in women’s celebration halls, prohibits firing guns or using weapons during celebrations, and prohibits the provision of hookahs in restaurants and cafes.

The public decency police force will be responsible for monitoring the media, entertainment and leisure activities, commercial, industrial, and service institutions, roads, and public facilities, and preventing violations of public decency and etiquette.

Community Values

“Al Jazeera Net” sought the opinions of several residents in Idlib, northwest Syria, to gauge their responses to the proposed law.

Mahmoud Al-Abid, a young man from Idlib, believes that the project is very beneficial for public life, as it respects Islamic religious values and the customs and traditions of Syrian society. However, he acknowledges that not all segments of the population may positively accept the law.

In a conversation with Al Jazeera Net, Al-Abid highlighted his interest in the law’s provisions, particularly the ban on playing music and the prohibition of uncontrolled driving and gender mixing in the workplace, noting that the latter provision may not be well-received by everyone.

On the other hand, Aziz Al-Idlibi (a pseudonym) affirmed that the law restricts public freedoms and intervenes in personal conduct, such as banning hookah smoking in public places or listening to music, expressing his opposition to several articles in the draft law.

Yasmin, a student (full name withheld), expressed that the law is positive for regulating several public decency issues on the roads and in markets but criticized it for the prohibition of gender mixing in the workplace, as it limits women’s employment opportunities.

Centralized Idea

However, the Syrian affairs researcher, Araby, believes that the proposed law reiterates the idea of “centralization” of government and authority by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Rescue Government, diverging from arbitrary ideas. He emphasized that the previous period witnessed the presence of “Hisbah” (religious police) in the absence of regulated and controlled work, relying on the juristic memory of the elements.

Araby told Al Jazeera Net that the proposed law includes clear regulations to emphasize the “sovereignty of Sharia law,” especially in light of recent speculation about the deviation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham from religion and integration, presenting in the recent law project its religious and legal dimension to the people.

He reaffirmed that the contents of the draft law align with the society’s culture and Islamic Sharia law, also existing in the Syrian penal law. Araby expressed the belief that there are biased individuals against the authority who reject the law, some of whom seek to exploit mistakes and accuse the government of rigorously implementing the law.

Affiliation Conditions

At the beginning of this January, the Interior Ministry in the Rescue Government announced the opening of the affiliation to work within the public decency police under specific conditions, and the announcement continued until the 7th of the same month.

The ministry stipulated that applicants should be graduates of Sharia College or an intermediate Sharia Institute, between 30 and 40 years old, without a criminal record, and should pass the course determined by the ministry.

Al Jazeera Net attempted to communicate with the Interior Ministry in the Rescue Government to understand their views on the public decency law project or the public decency police file. However, the ministry declined to comment at the time, responding that the current period is for selecting the participants in the police elements selection competition.