ISLAM, THE ARAB SOCIALIST BA''ATH PARTY AND THE SYRIAN CONSTITUTIONS OF 1973 AND 2012
This article analyzes the provisions of the Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic, 2012, relating to Shariah and Islam in general. For this purpose, we undertake a comparative analysis of the current Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic and the previous 1973 Constitution. It shows that in the Constitutions of 1973 and 2012 Sharia and Islam were not given any significant space. One of the fundamental reasons is the nationalist and socialist orientation of the ruling Baath Party. Having examined the basic ideological concepts of this party, we conclude that the principles of Islam can not be combined with the ideology of the Baath,which rejects the consolidation of society on the basis of religion, and aims at consolidation on the basis of the Arab nationalism.