The man known to his nominal Abu Mohamed al-Jollani as commander of a rebel group that allied with al-Qaeda during the long civil war in Syria, welcomed foreign jihadists, The states that sent suicide bombers, blow up military posts, and vowed to create Islam.
Ten years ago, he told journalists that Muslims should not enter Congress to pledge an artificial constitution because they had to respect “the rule of Almighty God.”
The same commander became Syrian new president after the rebel alliance sent in December. He broke with Al Qaeda a few years ago and now goes with his real name, Ahmed Alshara. He can exchange military fatigue for suits, repair a country that has been crushed by foreign leaders and his fellow Syrians, and lead it to democracy, or something like that He embarked on an attractive attack to convince him to lead.
“If democracy means that people decide who controls them and who represents them in Congress, then yes, Syria is heading in this direction,” he announced this month. He spoke to an economist in an interview.
A sharp contrast between Alshara's jihadist past and his practical, nationalist present states that what Syrians and foreign officials actually believe in, and that he is the center of the Middle East I wondered how it would govern the important countries of the department.
On Tuesday, his interim government is holding a national dialogue with hundreds of participants who say organizers are trying to build a consensus on the country's political and economic future. However, some important groups, such as the US-backed Kurdish militia who control the northeastern part of the United States, have not been invited.
Many Syrians were exhausted after 13 years of civil war. Whatever he does, he says, is better than the misery and destruction that Al Assad has brought about. Syrian critics who distrust his Islamist approach accusing him of having an ominous past that he has clearly not abandoned, beyond his reconciliatory rhetoric.
Since he emerged as a new leader in Syria, senior Arab and Western officials will either visit him in Damascus or fight Iranian influence, limiting Russian military presence, closure of illegal drug exports, cracking, and more. He greeted him by pushing him about issues they care about. Down on violent jihadists and secure the rights of women and religious minorities.
Some of these officials have personally said they were impressed by Alshara's comprehensive message. However, few people promised what he needed most. Financial aid to strengthen Syrian economy, strengthen Kickstart reconstruction, and lift the harsh sanctions imposed to punish Al Assad. On Monday, the European Union agreed to suspend restrictions on Syrian banks and energy and transport sectors and expand measures to promote humanitarian aid.
One factor that hinders foreign involvement with his government is that the United States and other countries, together with the United Nations, classify the rebel group he led, Hayat Taharil Al-Sham, or HTS, as a terrorist organization. Some countries still classify him as a terrorist.
Barbara A. Leaf, a senior Middle Eastern State Department official during the Biden administration, was one of the first US officials to meet Alshara in Damascus, the Syrian capital, in December. She said in an interview that he was clearly ready to hear what the US had to say – and that he responded.
“I found him to be a very systematic thinker with a strong degree of pragmatism,” Leaf said.
She said it is unclear to what extent his jihadist background still shaped his views as a leader of a newly released country desperately seeking international recognition and support. .
“He's just a great actor or has a kind of sponge-like personality that takes on both experience and contexts that shape his bigger environment and coordinate his own ideas,” she says. Ta.
Alshara faces a major challenge. According to most estimates, the war killed more than 500,000 people, forced millions to flee abroad, destroying the entire community, and preventing many refugees from returning to their homes.
His government is trying to create national troops to absorb many Syrian militias, but some resist taking part in and controlling important territories and resources such as farmland and oil.
Many Syrians are widowed, orphans, orphans, hurt or traumatized during the war, and war monitors report vengeful killings across the country. To save what he can do in the state, Alshara called on civil servants to continue working, but pay is small, the economy is weak, and electricity is limited in many homes.
Even before he was appointed president last month at a closed door meeting with the alliance's rebel leaders, Alshara worked both domestically and internationally to rebrand both Syria and himself.
He toured the Syrian provinces and met with representatives of Christians, Alawites and hay minority. The outlook Islamists said his government had no banned alcohol or dressed women.
On a foreign trip, he catered his message and outfit to his host. He wore a green tie to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. To meet Turkish President Recept Tyip Erdogan, he wore something red – the colour of their flag.
While many conservative Muslim men keep their wives out of public view, Alshara's spouse, Latifa al-Doubi, first appeared with him during a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. On a subsequent trip to Türkiye, Al Douby met Erdogan's wife, Emin.
He spoke carefully about Israel, which occupys southern Syrian territory, calling for observance of the country's shared frontier and decades-old ceasefire along Russia. Rebel Community. He assaulted him in Iran. Iran supported the previous regime, but said Syria would not pose a threat to its neighbors.
His contact with the Trump administration appears to have been limited. However, in a recent interview with the podcast, “The Rest is Politics and Leading,” he praised President Trump for “peace building” and “a positive approach to both the Middle East and future US policy in the region.” .
Critics of Alshara have accused him of telling him who he is meeting what he wants to hear, leaving him away from the background of his extremists and the violent records of his peers. Masu.
Ahmad al-Hayes, one of the rebels who appointed him as president, was the commander accused of overseeing the torture and murder of detainees, human trafficking of women and children, ransom and terror schemes. .
Another supporter, Mohammad al-Jasim, accused the commander of the commanders who had driven away the residents to seize their property by the United States, and lured people to the ransom.
In 2017, Alshara's rebel groups established a “Salvation Government” to manage the territory controlled in northwestern Syria. After the collapse of Al Assad, Al Shara took his government to Damascus and served as the country's interim government until March 1st, when a new government was to take over. He said that elections cannot be held for three or four years because Syria is in such chaos.
The current government is made up of loyalists of Mr. Alshara. Some members have been with him since his jihadist days, and the Minister of Health is his brother.
Many Syrians are terrified by the video shared on social media by Justice Minister Shadi Al Waisi, and in 2015 they have been primarily sided with prostitution and street executions to “spread corruption on the planet.” .
The new government's media office did not respond to requests for comment.
The militants still had an impact on the government a few months before they moved to Damascus.
Last August, hundreds of athletes gathered to kick off the local edition of the Paralympic Games in northwestern Syria, with organizers lit up a giant torch. The ultra-conservative clergy worshiped the fire, a crime of Islam, and accused local government of stopping the game, citing “violating our culture, customs and traditions.” .
Fuad Sayed Issa, founder of Violet, the group that organized the game, said in an interview that government officials apologised for the cancellation but feared what extremists would do if they moved forward. .
Issa was optimistic as the government was in Damascus and Alshara expressed more openness.
“We feel that things are getting better now,” he said. “Leaders have an open mindset that will take Syria to a better place.”
Mr. Alshara's loyalty changed repeatedly during the war. He came to Syria from Iraq with the support of the Islamic State, but later defeated the group. He pledged his loyalty to al-Qaeda before also announcing a break with it in 2016.
His former group, Nusra Front, fought against other rebels over the years and formed alliances, becoming HTS and HTS in 2017. Since then, Alshara has focused on the country's northwestern rule and cracked down on extremists. It is believed that they are planning an attack outside of Syria.
Orwa Ajjoub, a doctoral candidate at the University of Malmo in Sweden who studies HTS, said that Al-Shara's history was less guided by stricter convictions than quest for power. Ta.
“He's changed a lot and in this change he's real,” Ajob said. “On the one hand, there's an encouragemental pragmatism, which gives you some hope. But on the other hand, the length of time he's willing to stay in power is scary.”
