[Zajko]

There are indeed radical Islamic nutcases in Syria: far fewer of them, however, in my experience, than in the vast majority of Middle Eastern states. It’s also worth remembering that over 20% of the population is Christian.

Syria is not a ‘religious’ state, in general. When I was there, you could drink beer openly in the street, discuss religion freely and openly, and even date a local girl.

[Netz]

...of course you were tracked by seven separate internal security agents all the time. Actually, that nice guy running the very western youth hostel - he is a Captain in the security services so while yes, you could move about freely and even drink an Aleppo beer, you were heavily scrutinized. The Christians are now packing their bags all across the Middle East, including Syria. Don't try to paint a very open & liberal picture of life in Syria - it is/was a mirage.