Al-Assad issues decree effectively sacking Syria’s Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, the highest Islamic authority in Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree that effectively abolished the position of the republic’s grand mufti, without giving reasons for the decision. The decree issued on Monday delegated to the Council of Jurisprudence Scholars tasks that were previously entrusted to the mufti, including setting the start and end dates of the holy month of Ramadan and declaring religious decrees or fatwa. The decree also abolished Article 35 of a law regulating the power of the jurisprudential council and the work of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs under the grand mufti and strengthened the power of the council, headed by the minister of endowments.
The decision effectively forces Syria’s Grand Mufti Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, the highest Islamic authority in Syria, into retirement. The has been wide speculation among the public around the reasons for al-Assad’s decision. It came days after Syria’s Jurisprudence Council issued harsh criticism of Hassoun’s interpretation of a set of Quranic verses during the funeral of famous Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, who died earlier this month. Source: aljazeera.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
