hof hab

     Regardless of al-Julani’s ideological background, his glorifying behavior fuels his lust for power, and it is essential that people’s perception of rulers changes, so that they are seen as ordinary human beings whose role is to serve society, not to exploit it.

But it seems that many Syrians have not benefited from past experiences, The praise, glorification, and deification of the former ruler only fostered in him a sense of comfort and a narcissistic trait, Many are exaggerating in showing loyalty to the new regime and bestowing titles of glorification upon Ahmed al-Sharaa or Abu Muhammad al-Julani, This may be understandable in the first moments of the fall of the most brutal dictatorship in modern times and the most criminal in history,The extent of the Assad regime’s brutality and totalitarianism unconsciously gave a pardon to the history of those who removed it and rid the country and its people of it, It may be understandable in moments of euphoria and celebration, but it is dangerous if it is built upon in the long run.

Many have not forgotten that Sharia is al-Julani, who committed massacres and crimes during his jihadist journey, and he, in turn, did not apologize for them or offer self-criticism, and he merely hinted, “That was a phase that has passed…” He did not apologize for the crimes of sexual slavery, kidnapping Yazidi women and selling them.

This may seem difficult in reality, especially since he has not yet uttered the word “democracy.” Rather, he and his government have spoken of its opposite, as he answered questions concerning the new constitution by saying that he would leave it to what he called “committees of specialists in the matter.” This ignites doubt and questions: Who are these committees? Who appoints them? Are they appointed in the same manner as the appointments we see now? To justify them under the title of “the necessities of harmony at this stage”? If al-Julani were seeking a democratic state, the answer should have been: “A comprehensive national conference for all Syrian forces and currents.” As for the phrase “committees and specialists,” it only reminds us of the labyrinths and mazes of the defunct regime.

Al-Julani’s evasiveness/pragmatism can be viewed from another perspective, which is that al-Julani has not been convinced of Salafist jihadism for years, and he has no intention of establishing a strict Islamic state, but rather he is exploiting “jihadism” to achieve his “authoritarian” goals, So what would his fate or his standing be if he abandoned his jihadism?

With the fall of Assad, the term “shifting” emerged in the Syrian public sphere, to describe the overnight shift of Assad loyalists to loyalists of al-Julani, However, many forgot that al-Julani was the “greatest shifter” from the abaya to the “suit and tie,” and he confuses all parties regarding the direction of his shift: “right or left?”

He says Syria will belong to all Syrians, yet he promotes non-Syrian officers, some of whom are civilians who, according to one activist, haven’t even completed “university training.” He insists he will dissolve Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), but he appoints HTS officers to key positions in the intelligence and military hierarchy, and HTS ministers to the government, At that point, dissolving HTS becomes meaningless; the organization has effectively become a state within a state.