Since 2017, he has led the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which became the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. The 42-year-old started out as an extremist, but has moderated over the years. Now all Syrians, whether they are Christians, Kurds, Sunni Muslims or Alawites, are very excited about what the new leader wants. Syria consists of many sects, religious and ethnic groups who fear chaotic conditions. In an interview with CNN last week, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani wanted to reassure them all: – No one has the right to exterminate another group. Our sects have lived together for hundreds of years and no one has the right to exterminate any of them. Furthermore, he promises that Syria must have a system of laws that protects everyone and ensures the rights of all groups. He wants to move away from the Assad regime’s system, which promoted the interests of his own sect, the Alawites. Ever since 2011, the goal has been to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad had held power for 24 years, the last nine years with help from Russia. Now Al-Jolani and his rebels have thrown the country into a new era. Growing up in good conditions His name is actually Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa. He was born in Riyad in Saudi Arabia in 1982. His father was a petroleum engineer and geography teacher. The wealthy family moved back to Syria in 1989 where Al-Jolani grew up in the bourgeois district of Mazzeh in Damascus. He took the Al-Jolani or Al-Golani name, to refer to the family’s original home in the Golan Heights. The family fled from there in 1967, when Israel occupied the Syrian heights. Joined Al Qaeda The political awakening came with the Palestinian intifada in 2000, when he was 17-18 years old. – I started thinking about how I could fight for oppressed people, he said to the documentary program Frontline on the American television channel PBS. Al Qaeda’s attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, awakened the Islamist in him, according to Middle East Eye. He began to participate in secret sermons and discussions in Damascus. When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, al-Joulani Syria took part in the fighting against the US forces. He joined Al Qaeda, but was arrested by the Americans in 2006 and spent five years in captivity, including in the notorious Abu Graib prison. Back to Syria When the Arab Spring swept across North Africa in 2011 and toppled dictators in Egypt and Libya, Al Jolani went home to Syria to fight against the Assad regime. He formed the Nusra Front which would replace Assad with an IS-like sharia rule. He broke with Al Qaeda because he did not want the group to become a target for Western attacks. Al-Jolani said in 2015 that his group would not carry out actions in the West. Gradually, he appeared more like a real politician in his own eyes and in the eyes of his followers. Opponents, on the other hand, regarded him as an opportunist. He has put down the turban used by the jihadists. Now he dresses in a military uniform, which shows no religious affiliation. This photo is supposed to be from 2016. Photo: Afp On the terrorist list For many years, Al-Jolani kept a low profile. But now he has suddenly become an actor on the world stage. He does it to calm the world, he says to CNN. – A stabilization of Syria will bring refugees back. That is the goal. We will get everyone living in refugee camps and the millions who have sought refuge in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan back home. Al-Jolani also hopes Syrians who have fled to Europe want to return home. Syrians around the world are paying close attention to what the country’s new victor says. He is no longer talking about a Sharia state, but that Syria needs and must have strong institutions. Since breaking with Al Qaeda, Jolani has tried to appear more moderate. But HTS is still classified as a terrorist organization in the West, and suspicion against him is still widespread. Photo: AFP The group he leads, HTS, is on the terrorist list in Turkey, the US and the EU. – For me, a terrorist is someone who kills and injures civilians with intent. I have wanted to fight with oppressed people and that commitment has led me to where I am today, he says to CNN. Published 09.12.2024, at 14.16 Updated 09.12.2024, at 3.30 p.m
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