CAIRO: The conviction of Syria’s former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun and Washington’s decision to remove a major obstacle to economic engagement came within hours of each other this week, highlighting two central elements of the country’s post-Bashar Assad transition. On Monday, a court in Damascus sentenced Hassoun to life imprisonment after convicting him of charges including inciting civil war and sectarian strife, incitement to intentional homicide and exploiting his position as the country’s senior Muslim cleric.

Former Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Damascus on Monday after he was convicted of inciting violence and justifying…

A Syrian court has sentenced former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun to life in prison. Hassoun, a loyalist to former President Bashar Assad, was convicted of inciting…

Ahmad Hassoun is accused of supporting officers implicated in war crimes, among other charges