The "reforms" promised by Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, got under way on Wednesday with two measures obviously designed to placate religious elements.

One was the rescinding of a rule introduced only last July which had banned female teachers from wearing the niqab, or face veil.

The other was the closure of Syria's only casino. The Ocean Club near Damacus airport had opened for business last December – apparently on a nod and a wink from the authorities – but soon began causing controversy. The announcement of its closure on Wednesday appears to be non-news, since the ministry of local administration had already called a halt to gambling there in mid-February – long before the current wave of demonstrations began.

Considering the nature and scale of the reforms that are needed, this is a feeble start. But it is clearly part of a strategy to win over key sections of Syrian society. Joshua Landis writes:

"President Assad has swung into action meeting with important leaders from different sectors of the Syrian population in an effort to hear their concerns and shore up support for the Baath Party and his presidency.

"Most important have been his meetings with the Imams of Syria’s leading cities. These will be the key figures who can help repair his relations with the observant Muslim inhabitants of the cities. Most of the protests have been scheduled for Fridays because that is the day Syrians are allowed to assemble in large numbers. The sermons that are given and the level of criticism that is heard from the minbar can influence the mood of the public. Thus, it is little wonder that President Assad has been fulfilling the principal demands of Syria’s clerics."

In addition to that, Bashar has reportedly promised to allow a religious TV channel and to set up an institute for training future Imams "who won’t deviate right or left". Ammar Abdulhamid 
comments that "by encouraging the most obscurantist elements to plan a more visible role in society, [the Assads] hope to bolster their claim that their presence is needed to keep society in check" but he points out that protesters on the streets hate these elements as much as they hate the Assads.

Landis also notes that the president has been making overtures towards Syria's Kurdish minority who have caused trouble in the past:

"A number of Kurdish leaders have refused to meet with President Bashar al-Assad because he has refused to address their political concerns, although, he has sent out orders to treat the Kurds who have been refused Syrian nationality as if they were Syrians."

According to the Italian news agency, AKI, the president is also about to announce the lifting of Syria's 48-year state of emergency "without waiting for a counter-terrorism law to be legislated as its replacement". It quotes "a source close to the Syrian president" as saying he will also issue decrees allowing the free establishment of political parties and media outlets and the lifting of censorship.

Unlike tinkering with rules on gambling and the niqab, this will be a major step forward – if it happens. There may well be some kind of announcement but the actual implementation is a different matter. The behaviour of the security forces over the last couple of weeks is scarcely indicative of a regime that intends to let civil liberties blossom at any moment.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 7 April 2011.