Syrian rebel leader dismisses controversy over photo with woman

Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has dismissed online controversy over videos showing him instructing a young woman to cover her hair before taking a picture with her last week.

The incident drew criticism from both liberal and conservative commentators amid intense speculation about the county’s future direction after the rebels took power.

Liberals saw the request by the leader of the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a sign that he may try to establish an Islamic system in Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, while hardline conservatives criticized him for agreeing to be photographed with the woman in the first place.

“I didn’t force her. But this is my personal freedom. I want to be photographed the way I’m comfortable.” Sharaa said in an interview with the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen.

The woman, Lea Heirala, also said she was not bothered by the request.

She said he asked in a “gentle and paternal way” and that she believed “a leader has the right to be represented as he sees fit.”

However, the incident highlighted some of the difficulties any future Syrian leader may face in addressing and unifying such a religiously diverse country.

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

There is also a wide range of views among the various political and armed groups that have opposed Assad, with some wanting secular democracy and others wanting rule according to Islamic law.

HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, initially imposed strict rules of conduct and dress codes when it seized control of the former rebel stronghold of Idlib province in 2017. However, in recent years it has lifted these rules in response to public criticism.

The Koran, the holy book of Islam, commands Muslims – men and women – to dress modestly.

Male modesty was defined as covering the area from the navel to the knees, while for women it was generally seen as covering everything except the face, hands, and feet when in the presence of men to whom they are not related or married.

Lea Heirala asked to take a picture with Sharaa, formerly known by his battle name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, when he was visiting the Mezzeh district of Damascus on December 10.

Before agreeing, Shara gestured for her to cover her hair, and she compliedpulling up the hood of his jumper and then standing next to him for a photo.

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

People with liberal or non-conservative views saw this as an alarming glimpse into the possible future of Syria under the FTA, fearing increasingly conservative policies such as requiring all women to wear the hijab or headscarf.

Arab channel France 24 discussed the incident with a headline asking if Syria is “moving towards Islamic rule”.

Others were harsher in their condemnation. One Syrian journalist said: “We replaced one dictator with a reactionary dictator.”

On social media, other commentators warned of “ultra-extremists” coming to power, while others condemned “forcing a free woman” to adopt a conservative guise.

Islamist hardliners on Telegram criticized Sharao for agreeing to be filmed and photographed next to the young woman in the first place.

Some called Ms Heyrallah a “mutabariah” – a negative term for women who are considered immodestly dressed or wearing make-up.

Such hard-line figures ranged from clerics to influential commentators, whose views are often shared and read by Syria-oriented conservative communities online, and are likely to reach HTS supporters and possibly officials.

Most of them appear to be based in Syria, mainly in the former rebel stronghold of Idlib, which was dominated by HTS, and some of them previously served in HTS ranks.

They argued that intimate interactions between unrelated men and women are religiously impermissible, and accused Sharaa of seeking “vain public attention” and showing “indulgence” in matters contrary to strict religious teachings.

A message on a Telegram channel called Min Idlib (from Idlib) said the HTS leader was “too busy taking selfies with young girls” to respond to demands for the release of prisoners from HTS prisons in Idlib.

Many of the conservative figures who opposed the photo have criticized Sharaa in the past on political and religious grounds, including clerics who have left HTS.