Syrian nationalism

Syrian nationalism, also known as Pan-Syrian nationalism (or pan-Syrianism), refers to the nationalism of the region of Syria, as a cultural or political entity known as "Greater Syria". It should not be confused with the Arab nationalism, which is the official state doctrine of the Syrian Arab Republic's ruling Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and it should not be assumed that Syrian nationalism necessarily propagates the interests of modern-day Syria or its government. Rather, it predates the existence of the modern Syrian state, which succeeded French mandate rule in 1946), and refers to the loosely-defined Levantine region of Syria, known in Arabic as Ash-Shām (ٱلـشَّـام). Syrian opposition forces are strong advocates of historical Syrian nationalism that harkens back to a "Golden Age", contesting the Ba'athist narratives of the Assad regime. Free Syrian Army has incorporated symbols of nationalist insignia into their flags and military uniforms during the Syrian civil war. Syrian nationalism arose as a modern school of thought in the late 19th century, in conjunction with the Nahda movement, then sweeping the Ottoman-ruled Arab world. One of the towering historical figures in Syrian nationalism has been the Ayyubid Sultan Salah al-Din Ayubi (widely known in the West as "Saladin"), the Sunni leader who re-captured Jerusalem and led Muslims to victory against European Crusaders. Following the Balfour declaration, Sykes-Picot deal and imposition of the French Mandate, Saladin was popularized by nationalists and Islamists as a heroic figure of Syrian resistance against Zionism and Western imperialism. Capitalizing on his status as a pan-Arab icon, the rival Ba'athist regimes in Syria and Iraq both incorporated Saladin into their official propaganda. State propaganda compared Hafez al-Assad to Saladin in official portraits, statues, literature, etc. as part of the wider promotion of the pervasive personality cult of Assadism. After his father's death, Bashar al-Assad inherited the personality cult and intensified it with technocratic themes.