Most of the residents are Sunni Muslims, although some districts of the city are exclusively Christian. Hama is reputed to be the most conservative Sunni Muslim city in Syria since French Mandate times. During that period there was an old saying reflecting this characteristic: "In Damascus, it takes only three men to make a political demonstration, while in Hama it takes only three men to get the town to pray. The Christian population mostly adheres to the Greek Orthodox Church or the Syriac Orthodox
