Syria rebel leader dismisses controversy over photo with woman

Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has settled an online controversy over videos showing him telling a girl to cover her hair before taking a photo with her last week.

The incident drew criticism from conservatives and conservatives among the conservatives for the province’s future after the insurgents took over.

Liberals saw the request from the head of the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a sign that he could follow the Islamic order in Syria after leading the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, while hard-line conservatives criticized him for agreeing to be photographed with the woman in the first place.

“I didn’t force him. But it’s my right. I want pictures taken of me the way I like them,” he said. Sharaa said in an interview with the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen.

Mrs. Lea Kheirallah also said that the request did not disappoint her.

He said he asked “in a calm and paternal way”, and that he thinks “the leader has the right to be given as much as he wants”.

However, the incident highlighted the challenges that Syria’s future leader will face in persuading and unifying a religiously diverse country.

Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population, with the remainder split between Christians, Alawites, Druze and Ismailis.

There are also different opinions among the various political and armed groups that opposed Assad, some want a democratic country and others want him to rule according to Islamic law.

HTS, a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, initially imposed strict rules of conduct and dress code when it seized the former rebel stronghold of Idlib province in 2017.

The Koran, Islam’s holy book, tells Muslims – men and women – to dress modestly.

Modesty for men is defined as covering the entire area from the navel to the knee – and for women it is seen as covering everything except the face, hands and feet when in the eyes of men they are not related or married.

Lea Kheirallah asked to take a picture with Sharaa – formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – when they visited the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus on 10 December.

Before she agrees, Sharaa bids her to cover her hair and she obeyslifting her coat over her jumper and standing beside him to take the picture.

Many videos and photos of the incident were shared on social media, which caused outrage among ordinary users and commentators.

Liberals or dissenters saw it as a troubling picture of Syria’s future under HTS, fearing more conservative policies such as requiring all women to wear the hijab, or headscarf.

The Arab group of France 24 discussed the issue, with the topic asking if Syria is “going towards an Islamic regime”.

Others were strongly criticizing. A Syrian journalist said: “We removed a dictator instead of a dictator.”

On social media, some commentators warned of “extremists” rising to power, while others criticized “forcing a liberal woman” to adopt a conservative stance.

Muslim daredevils on the Telegraph criticized Sharaa for agreeing to be filmed and photographed next to another girl in the first place.

Some called Ms Kheirallah a “mutabarijah” – a negative term for women who are seen as wearing immodest clothes or makeup.

Strong figures like these ranged from religious leaders to popular commentators whose views are often shared and read by Syrian activists who focus on the Internet, and can reach HTS supporters and possibly even officials.

Most of them appear to be living in Syria, particularly in the former HTS-controlled rebel stronghold of Idlib, while some have previously served in HTS units.

They said it was religiously forbidden for unmarried men and women to have intimate relationships and accused Sharaa of seeking “vain public pleasure” and showing “acts that go against strict religious teachings.”

A post on another Telegram channel called Min Idlib (From Idlib) said the HTS leader is “too busy taking selfies with young girls” to counter demands for the release of prisoners from HTS prisons in Idlib.

Many of the conservatives who opposed the photo have opposed Sharaa in the past on political and religious grounds, and include clerics who have defected from HTS.