In Assad’s Syria there are cell-phones and Internet, you can spend time in a pub and have some beers, enjoy western music and even watch MSNBC on cable. You can date a lady who aren’t wearing a ninja outfit and you don’t need to convert of buy her from her parents if you want to marry her. And she can go to university and have a job. You can go to Church or Mosque or whatever.
There are some worthy peculiarities comparing to Islamist regimes, isn’t it?
Agreed. Assad’s Syria is secular, as were Mubarak’s Egypt, the Shah’s Iran, even Saddam’s Iraq. They all had political restrictions for good reasons too. But socially quite liberal & “westernized”.