Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s status as a religious minority himself (he is an Alawite Muslim) has probably been a factor in the relatively calm relations between Syria’s Muslim majority and Christian minority, which constitutes about 10 percent of the population today. While the percentage has decreased in recent years, Syrian Christians say they have the opportunity to participate in state and society, the Monitor reported. Assad works to tamp down sectarian tension and also cracks down on Islamist extremism within the country.