Several pages on social media circulated pictures of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, of a group of people wearing clothes similar to those worn by followers of the Buddhist religion.
In the pictures, a group of women and men practice strange rituals during their gathering inside the Umayyad Mosque, which aroused the astonishment and condemnation of some of the pioneers of the communication sites.
The opposition website Sawt al-Asima said that it conducted research to find out the truth about these images and who is behind these rituals.
“Dada Atman”
The site indicated that the rituals carried out in the Umayyad Mosque were organized by a person who called himself “Dada Atman”, a Syrian who hails from the city of As-Suwayda.
The website revealed that the “Atman” event in the Umayyad Mosque in the capital, Damascus, was held on the twenty-fifth of last July.
The site added that “Atman” wrote a post through his personal account on the social networking site “Facebook”, containing a group of photos from inside the mosque, before he later deleted it.
The Godfather
The site indicated that the so-called “Dada Atman” lived in India for several years and received his teachings there, and founded a spiritual sect nearly three years ago, and is considered the “spiritual father” of it.
The website stated that “Atman” organized many “spiritual” events in Syria during the past two years, and was active on social networking sites, by broadcasting video clips during which he worked to spread the teachings of yoga methods and the beliefs of his sect.
“Sawt al-Asima” pointed out that “Atman” is based on spreading his rituals and beliefs on yoga, and he markets himself in the local community as a “yoga teacher”, but his followers perform dances and lyrical prayers, which they believe is a “spiritual experience.”
The site added that the rituals practiced by the “atman” are called a “cosmic mantra”, which is a Sanskrit word for an audio or written incantation meaning the liberation of the soul.
cross border
The website stated that “Atman” held similar events in Sahnaya and Jaramana in Damascus countryside, preceded by an event in As-Suwayda governorate that lasted for ten days, and another in Lattakia, Tartous and Salamiyah governorates in Hama countryside, and in Lebanon and Erbil.
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