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In an impoverished, war-ravaged country, the first prayers after the fall of a brutal regime drew jubilant crowds, even in areas seen as regime strongholds.
Dec. 13, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET
Jubilant crowds gathered in cities across Syria for the first Friday Prayers since rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad, including at the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital, where civilians and fighters worshiped side by side and joyful chants erupted over the collapse of a long authoritarian dynasty.
People waved revolutionary flags, posed for photographs with friends and shouted, “God is great!” as one of the largest crowds in memory filled the marble courtyard of the mosque, where the Assad security forces had long suppressed antigovernment demonstrations with brutal violence.
Not all the chants were religious, reflecting the country’s newfound sense of liberty, as some outside the mosque sang, “Hold your head high, you are a free Syrian!”
Fighters in military uniforms — members of the rebel force that ousted Mr. al-Assad over the weekend — joined others at the mosque, their guns beside them or leaning against pillars nearby. The towering prayer hall was so crowded that some men could not touch their foreheads to the carpet. Instead, they touched them to the backs of the people in front of them.
In a sermon delivered from the pulpit, the newly appointed prime minister of Syria’s rebel government, Mohammed al-Bashir, praised the rebellion’s victories, mourned those who had been killed during the war and called on Syrians to build a new state based on freedom, dignity and justice.
“The chains of humiliation have been broken,” Mr. al-Bashir said, his voice cracking at times with emotion. He also condemned the oppression of the Assad regime and spoke of revenge against the “criminals” who had been part of it.
