Pro-Assad singers see concerts cancelled as Syria's new authorities enforce cultural break with past

Concerts by two singers known for their support of former president Bashar al-Assad have been cancelled after protesters in Homs tore down promotional posters, signalling a hardening cultural line under Syria's new administration.

Lebanese artist Mohamad Iskandar was due to perform on 14 August at the Lion Palace hotel in al-Hawash, a predominantly Christian town west of Homs. Syrian singer Hossam Jneed had a series of shows planned in Homs and nearby towns including Sadad. On 20 July, residents in Homs and in Yabroud, north of Damascus, ripped down posters advertising the events. The Lion Palace announced the cancellation that evening, citing respect for public sentiment and community unity.

Artists with a pro-regime track record

All three singers caught up in the recent cancellations, Iskandar, Jneed and Shadi Jamil, whose Damascus Opera House concert was scrapped in late June, have a history of public support for Assad. In 2016 Iskandar released "Mnemout Kbar", which includes the line "We won't accept anyone but Bashar to govern Syria." Jneed's 2013 song "Ya Bashar Metlak Min" became a pro-regime anthem with lyrics such as "Oh Bashar, who is your equal? You who hold your head so high!" Jamil was filmed in 2014 at a concert in Venezuela praising Assad as "Abu Hafez" and asking God to protect Syria under his leadership. That footage resurfaced recently, fuelling the controversy.

Divergent responses from the performers

After his concert was axed, Iskandar posted a video addressed directly to interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, denying political involvement and asking for justice. "I didn't kill anyone in Damascus, and I didn't carry weapons in Damascus. I didn't do anything in Damascus except sing and bring people joy for 20 to 30 years," he said. Jneed took a different approach, publishing a public apology on 23 July. "I am your son, and I apologise to all the mothers of martyrs, to all mothers who lost a loved one," he said. "I am nothing without you. It's you who gave me life, and I grow thanks to your love." Jamil also apologised after his June cancellation, telling audiences that "that time is now over and, today, we are optimistic for the future."

Homs remains a flashpoint

Journalist Ahmed al-Shamali, from Homs governorate, explained that the city, Syria's third largest, remains deeply scarred. Sunni neighbourhoods are still largely in ruins while Alawite areas, historically linked to the Assad clan, escaped the worst destruction. "Many Sunni neighbourhoods remain largely destroyed and, in some cases, uninhabitable," al-Shamali said. "Concerts are regularly organised in different parts of Homs, under the protection of the security forces, without provoking a similar response. In Wadi al-Nasara, for example, there are concerts every week without incident. But Homs remains a particularly sensitive area, considering everything it experienced during the war."

Ministry directive mirrors Rwanda model

Moussa al-Sweidan, head of popular culture institutes at the Ministry of Culture, confirmed the cancellations follow a directive issued on 20 November 2025. The order bars cultural centres from hosting artists who "glorified the deposed regime or presented work that either covered up or denied his crimes against the Syrian people." Al-Sweidan said the ministry is looking to Rwanda's post-genocide reconciliation as a template. "It is possible that some requests reached those authorised to approve them, but were not properly assessed. Now, things are much stricter," he added.

The episode underscores how cultural policy is being weaponised to consolidate the new political order and address raw sectarian tensions in a country still navigating its post-Assad future.