Who is the real Jolani who overthrew Bashar Assad?

In Syria, the 54-year dictatorship of the Assad family has ended, and power has passed into the hands of the armed opposition. Bashar Assad was overthrown and fled to Russia. Thousands of religious and political prisoners have been released from prisons, and prisoners are still being found in the secret compartments of Saidnaya prison near Damascus, which has become a graveyard of living people. The joy of thousands of Syrians returning home from Turkey and Lebanon cannot be expressed in words.

It is difficult to predict what the future life of Syrians who suffered from the tyranny of the Assad regime, civil wars, massacres in Syria by invading countries such as Russia and the United States will be. Of course, in the current situation, the next steps of the opposition leaders are also important for restoring a prosperous life in Syria. Therefore, today we want to focus on the controversial life and thoughts of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, one of the prominent leaders of the opposition who took power in Syria in just 12 days.

Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a, known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, was born in 1982 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. When Jolani was 7 years old, his family moved to Syria. In fact, there is information that the origin of this family goes back to the Golan Heights, which was occupied by Israel.

His father also took part in demonstrations against the rule of the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (ASUP). Therefore, the family fled from various persecutions and went to Iraq in search of asylum.

Later, in 2021, during an interview with American journalist Martin Smith, Jolani remembered his father and said that although he did not fully agree with his ideology, the father and son's love for Palestine was boundless, and the highest goal was to protect Jerusalem. Even in his youth, he was influenced by the Second Palestinian Intifada in 2000 and did not hide the fact that he constantly fantasized about protecting the Palestinians from the invaders.

According to Al Jazeera, when Jolani turned 18, he decided to learn the Koran better. During his student days, he attended the mosque in Aleppo and regularly participated in the sermons of his teacher, Mahmoud Qul Agassi.

In 2003, when Iraq was invaded by the United States, his teacher called him to resist the invaders, and Jolani moved to Mosul, Iraq. In Mosul, he was captured by the Americans because he fought for Al-Qaeda.

Jolani's later life will be spent in the famous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. He was eventually transferred to the Camp Cropper detention center in Baghdad. After the American military handed Jolani over to the Iraqi government, the member of "Al-Qaeda" will be released after 2 years.

After his release, he joined ISIS under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, continuing his military career and quickly becoming the militant group's main leader in Mosul.

In 2011, in connection with the start of the Syrian revolution, Jolani appealed to Baghdadi and agreed to rule Syria. Within a year, Jolani trained more than 5,000 fighters against Bashar Assad's regime and expanded his sphere of influence.

On January 24, 2012, he announced the formation of Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) and called on Syrians to take up arms against the government. By April 9, 2013, Baghdadi announced the merger of ISIS and the new Jabhat al-Nusra. Unexpectedly, Jolani rejected this alliance and declared that he would remain loyal to the leadership of Al-Qaeda.

Until 2016, he worked as the head of the branch of "Al-Qaeda" in Syria. But later

Jolani also defected from al-Qaeda, formed his own group, and rose to prominence as the leader of the opposition that ousted Assad after 13 years of civil war.

Ideology and views

In his first major interview, Jolani stated that he does not support the practice of takfir - making Muslims infidels. He adds that it is permissible to entrust the issuing of fatwas to the religious scholars and judicial authorities according to Islamic Shari'a.

Akobir Yusel, [12.12.2024 18:33]

Jolani also stated that Jabhat al-Nusra did not seek power in Syria, and that after Assad, the country should be governed by a council of scholars and leaders based on Islamic principles.

In an interview on PBS in 2021, Jolani said that the reason for his departure from ISIS was the attitude of members of the militant group to civilians and their approach to the conflict.

"Later, due to the gross mistakes of the leadership of Al-Qaeda, I had to cut ties with them," Jolani said.

Entry into the list of international wanted terrorists

In 2013, the US State Department designated al-Jolani as a global terrorist following the establishment of Jabhat al-Nusra and his allegiance to al-Qaeda. In May 2013, the US government added him to the list of global terrorists and froze his assets. The United Nations Security Council has also imposed sanctions against him, including travel restrictions and an arms embargo.

Additionally, in May 2017, the US State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Jolani's identity or location.

But a few days ago, after the overthrow of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria, the course of events changed completely.

Western media reported that the US President Joe Biden's administration is considering the possibility of removing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. NBC News reported that the group's removal from the terrorist list could happen "soon."

It is noted that if the terrorist status of the group is removed, the ten million dollar reward for information about the leader of the group will also be canceled.

The conclusion is in order

Jolani's life is full of various conflicts. However, today he is making a name in history for helping to end the brutal regime of Bashar Assad in Syria. Meanwhile, Jolani promises to form a government and implement national reconciliation. Perhaps in the future this government will be able to achieve the cooperation of all political and ethnic forces. Only then can stability be ensured in Syria. Otherwise, Syria may become the center of new conflicts, God forbid!