Syrian opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has denied the online controversy over videos showing him motioning to a young woman to cover her hair before taking a photo with her last week.
The incident sparked criticism from liberal and conservative commentators amid intense speculation about the future direction of the province after the rebels came to power.
Liberals saw the request from the head of the Sunni Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham as a sign that he might seek to impose an Islamic regime in Syria after he led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, while hard-line conservatives criticized him for it. Agreeing to be photographed with women in the first place.
“I didn't force it. But it's my personal freedom. I want my photos to be taken the way that suits me.” Al-Sharaa said in an interview with BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen:.
Ms. Leah Khairallah also said that she was not bothered by the request.
She said he made the request in a “gentle and fatherly way” and that she believed “the leader has the right to be introduced as he sees fit.”
However, the incident demonstrated some of the difficulties any future leader of Syria may face in appealing to and uniting such a religiously diverse country.
Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population, while the rest are 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 a secular democracy and others wanting rule according to Islamic law.
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, initially imposed strict rules of behavior and dress when it took control of the former rebel stronghold in Idlib province in 2017. However, it has repealed these rules in recent years in response to public criticism.
The Holy Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, commands Muslims – both men and women – to dress modestly.
Male modesty has been interpreted as covering the area from the navel to the knee – and for women, it is generally seen as covering everything except the face, hands and feet when in the presence of men who are not related to them or married to them.
Leah Khairallah asked to take a photo with Al-Sharaa – formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad Al-Julani – as he toured the Mezzeh area of Damascus on December 10.
Before she agreed, Al-Sharaa told her to cover her hair, and she compliedShe lifted the hood over her jacket and then stood next to him to take the photo.
Many videos and photos of the incident were circulated on social media, sparking widespread anger among ordinary users and media commentators.
People with liberal or non-conservative views saw it as a worrying glimpse of Syria's possible future under HTS, fearing increasingly conservative policies such as requiring all women to wear the hijab.
France 24 Arabic discussed the incident, with a headline asking whether Syria was “moving towards Islamic rule.”
Others were more forceful in their condemnation. One Syrian journalist said: “We have replaced a dictator with a reactionary dictator.”
On social media, other commentators warned of “extremists” coming to power, while others denounced “forcing a free woman” to adopt a conservative outlook.
Islamist militants on the Telegram app criticized Shara for agreeing to be photographed next to a young woman in the first place.
Some described Ms. Khairallah as a “dresser,” a negative term that refers to women who dress immodestly or wear makeup.
These hardline figures ranged from clerics to influential commentators whose views are often shared and read by conservative Syria-focused communities online, and are likely to reach HTS supporters and perhaps officials.
Most of them appear to be based in Syria, especially in the former opposition stronghold of Idlib, which is dominated by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, and some of them have previously served in the ranks of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.
They argued that it was religiously impermissible for men and women who were not closely related to interact and accused Sharia of seeking “frivolous public interest” and showing “leniency” in matters inconsistent with strict religious teachings.
A post on a Telegram channel called “From Idlib” (from Idlib) said that the leader of HTS was “too busy taking selfies with young women” to meet demands to release prisoners from HTS prisons in Idlib.
Many of the conservative figures who spoke out against the photo have criticized Sharaa in the past for political and religious reasons, including clerics who left Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.
