When every day is Friday in Syria

After four months of a steadily intensifying popular uprising, the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, is bracing for what may prove to be a climactic few weeks ahead. August 1 marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan when pious Muslims fast during the daylight hours and — crucially in the Syrian context — visit mosques on a daily basis for prayer. Since the uprising began in mid-March, demonstrations have focused on Fridays, Islam’s holy day of the week, when young men can freely gather in large numbers for prayers without hindrance from the security forces. Once prayers are over, the protestors are well placed to leave the mosques andlaunch straight into street demonstrations. In August, every day could be a Friday, turning this year’s Ramadan into a grinding and bloody test of stamina and determination on the part of both the protestors and the Syrian security