Author: Haid N. Haid & Bente Scheller

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (photo: Reuters)

The civil war in Syria

When minorities become pawns in a power game

The Assad clan is exploiting the multi-religious composition of Syria and holding its minorities in a fatal grip of dependency. By Haid N. Haid and Bente SchellerMore

The Assad regime and the civil war in Syria: Clash of barbarismsThe Druze in the Syrian conflict: Potential to tip the scalesSyrian Christians and the Assad regime: "Assad is only protecting himself"Syria's minorities and the uprising against the regime: In Assad's fortress

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Free meals are distributed to the needy in many Muslim countries during Ramadan. The giving of alms forms one of the "five pillars of Islam" – alongside the declaration of faith, daily prayers, the pilgrimage to Mecca and fasting. Followers of the faith refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. When evening comes, many meet in mosques, on public squares or in marquees such as in this picture from Cairo, to celebrate the breaking of the fast, known as "Iftar"

From Jakarta to Cairo – Ramadan around the world

For Muslims all around the world, Ramadan begins on 27 May. The period of fasting that always takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar is one of the five pillars of Islam, intended to be a time for contemplation, mediation and moderation.