"Some Syrians have taken part in the uprising, but others feel that Assad remains legitimate..."

"While the regime of President Bashar Assad has cracked down on smaller cities in Syria, residents of the nation's large cities, including Aleppo and the capital Damascus, seem ambivalent about staging mass protests.

Syrians in some parts of the country have taken part in the uprising, ...  But others feel that Assad’s government remains legitimate. Activists say that may be the result of religious pressure: "The regime uses clerics to justify their actions, and religious figures have an immense power to manipulate people in Aleppo and Damascus specifically," said one activist... ... But as military offensives encompass various cities, entrenched support for the regime has not yet been uprooted.  As turmoil continues in rural and suburban areas, the biggest cities of Damascus and Aleppo, which have benefited from the economic policies of the last decade, have remained relatively quiet..."