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Syria’s rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has downplayed online controversy over videos showing him gesturing to a young woman to cover her hair before posing for a photo with her last week.
The incident sparked criticism from both liberal and conservative commentators amid intense speculation about the future direction of the county after the rebels came to power.
Liberals saw the request by the head of the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a sign that he might try to impose an Islamic system in Syria after leading the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, while hardline conservatives They criticized him for agreeing to be photographed with the woman in the first place.
“I didn’t force her. But it’s my personal freedom. I want my photos taken in the way that suits me best.” Sharaa said in an interview with the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen..
The woman, Lea Kheirallah, has also said she was not bothered by the request.
He said he had asked for it in a “gentle and fatherly” way and that he thought “the leader has the right to be presented as he sees fit.”
However, the incident demonstrated some of the difficulties any future Syrian leader might have in attracting and uniting a country with so much religious diversity.
Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population, with the rest divided between Christians, Alawites, Druze and Ismailis.
There is also a wide range of opinions among the various political and armed groups that opposed Assad: some wanted a secular democracy and others wanted a government according to Islamic law.
HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate, initially imposed strict rules of conduct and dress codes when it took control of the former rebel stronghold of Idlib province in 2017. However, it revoked those rules in recent years in response to criticism. public.
The Quran, Islam’s holy book, tells Muslims – men and women – to dress modestly.
Male modesty has been interpreted to cover the area from the navel to the knee, and for women it is generally considered to cover everything except the face, hands, and feet when in the presence of men to whom they are neither related nor married. .
Lea Kheirallah asked to take a photo with Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, when he toured the Mezzeh area of Damascus on December 10.
Before accepting, Sharaa gestured for her to cover her hair and she obeyed.raising the hood of his sweater and then standing next to him for the photo.
Many video clips and images of the incident were shared on social media, causing widespread outrage among ordinary users and media commentators.
People with liberal or non-conservative views saw it as a disturbing glimpse into Syria’s possible future under the HTS, fearing increasingly conservative policies such as the requirement that all women wear a hijab or headscarf.
The France 24 Arabic channel reported on the incident, with a headline asking if Syria is “heading towards an Islamic government.”
Others were more blunt in their condemnation. A Syrian journalist said: “We replaced a dictator with a reactionary dictator.”
On social media, other commentators warned of the rise to power of “ultra-extremists”, while others denounced the “free woman” being “forced” to adopt a conservative appearance.
Hardline Islamists on Telegram criticized Sharaa for agreeing to be filmed and photographed alongside a young woman in the first place.
Some called Kheirallah “mutabarijah”, a negative term for women considered immodestly dressed or made up.
These hardline figures ranged from clerics to influential commentators whose opinions are often shared and read by conservative online communities focused on Syria, and are likely to reach HTS supporters and possibly officials.
Most of them appear to be based in Syria, mainly in the former HTS-dominated rebel stronghold of Idlib, and some have previously served in the HTS ranks.
They argued that it was religiously impermissible for unrelated men and women to interact closely and accused Sharaa of seeking “vain public attention” and showing “indulgence” in matters contrary to strict religious teachings.
A post on a Telegram channel called Min Idlib (From Idlib) said the HTS leader was “too busy taking selfies with young ladies” to address demands for the release of prisoners from HTS prisons in Idlib.
Many of the conservative figures who spoke out against the photo have criticized Sharaa in the past for political and religious reasons, and include clerics who left HTS.
