Syria’s president wants non-Muslim religions to help end his pariah status

In woods, playgrounds and stadiums across Syria, children and adults perform yoga routines. Their palms open in supplication, their arms flung back, they chant “Surya Namaskar “. It sounds like an Arabic blessing for Syria, but means “sun salutation” in Sanskrit. Instructors in Hindu monks’ robes preach the teachings of Shiva, an Indian god said to have founded the practice. “We are offering relief from the stress of real and economic wars,” says a Syrian tutor. Two decades ago a Syrian known as Mazen Isa returned from Rishikesh, a city in the Himalayan foothills known for its yoga studies, and opened a yoga practice in Syria. Scores of meditation centres now operate, free of charge, across the country. A key to their success is that President Bashar al-Assad backs them.