The Arab Socialist Party was founded by Akram al-Hawrani, who championed anti-feudal agrarian reform and land redistribution in his home province of Hama. It merged with the Ba’ath Party in 1952 to form the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is an Eastern Orthodox Church and the second largest Orthodox tradition in Syria. The Church was founded in Armenia where Christianity was established as the state religion in the year 301 CE. With the fall of the Armenian kingdoms in the 11th century and the rise of the Safavids in Iran in the 16th century, Armenians immigrated to cities throughout Anatolia and the Levant. In 1742, Rome officially recognized a separate Armenian Catholic Church and over the next two centuries, Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries proselytized among members of the...

The Baha’i Faith was founded in 19th century Iran by Mirza Hosayn-Ali Nuri Baha’ullah (d. 1892) and developed from Babism, an Iranian messianic movement, and Shi’a Shaikhism. Baha’is acknowledge numerous prophets, including Muhammad, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, and most recently Baha’ullah. The Baha’i Faith is monotheistic and universalist, recognizing the truth claims of other religious traditions. Followers believe in progressive revelation, such that each age has its prophet and revelations specific to that time. Both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims consider Baha’is to be heretical, and in Iran...

Christians make up approximately 8% of the Syrian population, and include the Eastern Catholic Churches (Melkite/Greek Catholic, Armenian, Syrian, Maronite, Latin and Chaldean), Orthodox Churches (Greek Orthodox,...