By Ioanna Theou
The new leader of Syria was previously a member of a terrorist organization. Following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, a new figure emerged to assume power in Syria. According to Western narratives, this former terrorist was rebranded as a reformer… Notably, despite the fact that the FBI had issued an arrest warrant against him with a reward of 10$ million, this warrant not only was withdrawn, but al Golani -as he tends to describe himself, hailing from the Golan Heights – later visited for the first time the United States and met with the American president. This development raises a fundamental question. How can a former member of a designated terrorist organization not only lead a country but also receive political recognition and legitimacy from Western officials, particularly when the West consistently presents itself as a leading force -especially the United States- in the global fight against terrorism?
Ahmad al-Sharaa was born close to the Golan Heights and this is the reason why he uses -Golan- as a nom de guerre. The al-Sharaa family traces its origins to the village of Jibeen, near Fiq, the capital of the al-Zawiya region in southern Quneitra province, within the Syrian Golan. His village has been since 1967 under Israeli occupation that expanded into new areas following Assad’s fall in December. Al Sharaa became involved in militant activities in his youth because according to him ‘’anyone watching a child being killed in the streets will revolt’’. Al- Sharaa, travelled to Iraq in the early 2000s to ‘’wage jihad’’ after the US invasion and eventually being imprisoned there for about five years under a false Iraqi identity.
After his release, al-Sharaa returned to Syria at the start of the uprising and emerged as a commander in Jabhat al- Nusra -a Salafi jihadist group initially affiliated with al-Qaeda- that later rebranded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Over time –even while there was an arrest warrant against him by the FBI- his forces led the offensive that overthrew Bashar al- Assad’s regime (December 2024) and now he is the new leader of the Syrian regime, using his real name, Ahmad al- Sharaa. It is strange indeed the fact that after the collapse of the Assad regime and the emergence of the al-Sharaa regime, the US officials made their first diplomatic visit to Syria. This was the first formal visit by American diplomats in the country, in over a decade.
Overall, with the al- Sharaa regime there has been a relative improvement in US- Syrian relations in contrast, to the Assad family -Hafez and Bashar al- Assad-, which historically did not maintain any relations with the United States. Thus, all the Western mainstream media have documented al-Sharaa’s past as a case of ‘’rebranding’’. Let’s not forget that all the terrorist groups have a common base in their beliefs. More specifically, terrorist groups -like ISIS and al Qaeda- have corrupted the Muslim ideology and altered according to their own needs the principles of Islam. Al- Sharaa previously committed violent extremism and now he seems to undergo a process of transformation.. But the jihadist group in which he was a member of -namely ISIS- does not consider the exit of a member as an option, but as apostasy or betrayal, punishable under Islamic law.
How can we understand this paradox whereby a former terrorist, who once emerged from jihadist organizations, and rebranded himself, has not faced consequences not only by his fellow members but also by other leaders -who allegedly fight against terrorism- and yet he is involved in the leadership and future of Syria?
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