The autumn of President Bashar al-Assad has left a essential query: After a half-century of brutal dynastic rule has come to an finish, who speaks for Syrians now?
One group staking a significant declare for that position is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which, underneath the management of Abu Mohammad al-Golani, spearheaded the opposition advance that toppled Assad.
However what does the group stand for? And who’s al-Golani? The Dialog turned to Sara Harmouch, an skilled on Islamist militant teams, for solutions.
What’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham?
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has its roots within the early levels of the Syrian civil warfare, which started in 2011 as a well-liked rebellion towards the autocratic authorities of Assad.
The group originated as an offshoot of the Nusra Entrance, the official al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was initially acknowledged for its fight effectiveness and its dedication to world jihadist ideology, or the institution of strict Islamic rule throughout the Muslim world.
In a shift in 2016, the Nusra Entrance publicly reduce ties with al-Qaida and adopted the brand new title Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which implies “Front for the Conquest of the Levant.”
The next 12 months, it merged with a number of different factions within the Syrian warfare to develop into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.”
This rebranding aimed to maneuver away from al-Qaida’s world jihadist agenda, which had restricted the group’s attraction inside Syria. It allowed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to give attention to points particular to Syrians, equivalent to native governance, financial points and humanitarian help.
Regardless of these modifications, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s core ideology continues to be rooted in jihadism, with the first goal of overthrowing the Assad authorities and establishing Islamic rule in Syria.
Who’s al-Golani? How central is he to the group’s success?
Abu Mohammed al-Golani was born Ahmed al-Sharaa in 1982 in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Golani spent his early years in Damascus, Syria, after his household returned from Saudi Arabia in 1989. His jihadist profession started in Iraq, the place he joined fighters aligned with al-Qaida after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In 2011, underneath the path of Iraqi militant and then-al-Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Golani was tasked with establishing the Nusra Entrance in Syria.
The group shortly grew to become a formidable power inside the Syrian civil warfare.
It was underneath al-Golani’s management that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham sought to painting itself as pragmatic, much less centered on world jihad and extra on governance points within the area of Idlib, Syria’s largest insurgent stronghold.
This shift in technique kinds a part of al-Golani’s effort to remodel his nationwide and world picture from that of a jihadist chief to a extra politically viable determine in Syrian politics.
Al-Golani’s shift towards a extra pragmatic method, significantly post-2017, has been essential in serving to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham management territories and assert itself as a regional governing power. His latest strikes, like adopting a extra average persona and fascinating in conventional public service, replicate al-Golani’s central position within the army and the political evolution of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – underpinning the group’s maintain on energy and its efforts at gaining legitimacy each regionally and internationally.
Syrians have a good time after armed teams led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Omer Alven/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
How did the group rise to develop into a significant power in Syria?
To maintain energy over the territories it managed, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham employed a mixture of methods that features establishing governance programs that would present stability and companies whereas legitimizing their management within the eyes of native populations.
Aiming to broaden and take extra territory, the group’s leaders concluded that it wanted to win over the worldwide group to attenuate worldwide opposition and successfully work with the broader Syrian revolutionary motion.
This concerned working with different actors in Syria, aiming to current a united entrance that might be extra palatable to worldwide observers and potential allies. To try this regionally, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham introduced many teams inside Syria underneath its management. Regionally and internationally, it reshaped its picture by way of public relations campaigns, equivalent to participating in social companies.
Since 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has been the prevailing power in Idlib, which, after authorities forces retook management of Aleppo in December 2016, emerged because the final main bastion for numerous insurgent teams.
Through the years, the group has solidified its management within the area by functioning as a quasi-governmental entity, offering civil companies and overseeing native affairs – equivalent to controlling highways and gathering duties on industrial trucking – regardless of experiences of human rights abuses.
Lately, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s propaganda has emphasised defending Syrian territory and its individuals from the Assad authorities.
This has helped the group improve its place amongst native communities and different insurgent teams.
In an effort to additional burnish its picture, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ramped up its public relations efforts, each at house and overseas. For instance, it has engaged with worldwide media and humanitarian organizations to barter – and movie – help deliveries to the areas it governs.
Doing so helped Hayat Tahrir al-Sham achieve some native help, positioning itself as a defender of Sunni Muslim pursuits.
In the meantime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham bolstered its army capabilities by establishing a army academy, reorganizing its models right into a extra typical army construction and creating specialised forces adept at executing coordinated and strategic assaults. The latest advance seems to be proof that this technique has paid off.
What does the US consider the group and al-Golani?
The U.S. has lengthy listed al-Golani as a Specifically Designated World Terrorist and the Nusra Entrance as a Overseas Terrorist Group.
In Might 2018, the U.S. State Division expanded this designation to incorporate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On account of these designations, the group and its members face authorized restrictions, journey bans, asset freezes and banking restrictions.
Moreover, the State Division’s Rewards for Justice program is providing as much as US$10 million for info on al-Golani.
What occurs if al-Golani emerges as a post-Assad chief?
First, we should always be aware that these are very early days, and it stays unclear what Syria will appear to be post-Assad.
However based mostly on my years researching Islamic historical past and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, I’m prepared to enterprise a number of educated guesses. Traditionally, Islamic empires have used distinct governance frameworks to drive their growth and administration, which could inform Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s method to mirroring these profitable methods.
First, I feel al-Golani is more likely to try for genuine spiritual management, positioning himself as a pacesetter whose private piety and adherence to Islamic rules align with the spiritual sentiments of the inhabitants at giant.
This might be complemented by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham emphasizing the position of Sunni Islam in Syria’s state capabilities and integrating spiritual authorized practices into the nation’s legal guidelines.
Simply because it has established on a localized scale, efficient administration would possibly develop into a cornerstone of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham governance. In Idlib, for instance, the group established programs for taxation and group engagement. That is important for constructing belief, particularly amongst beforehand marginalized teams.
Moreover, by permitting some autonomy for areas inside Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham might mitigate the chance of unrest, balancing strict Islamic legislation enforcement with Syria’s cultural and ethnic range.
Total, ought to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham underneath al-Golani attempt to steer the formation of Syria’s new authorities, we would anticipate a governance method that goals for a mix of conventional Islamic governance and trendy statecraft, striving to stabilize and unify the varied and war-torn nation.
Nevertheless, the group’s controversial standing and historical past of militant actions might pose vital challenges in gaining widespread worldwide recognition and inner help.
Sections of this text have been first printed in an article for The Dialog on Dec. 2, 2024.