DAMASCUS/HELSINKI In the capital of Syria, Damascus, a dictator Bashar al-Assad ousted Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seems to be rapidly taking over the Syrian government.
The Islamist HTS has brought to the capital, among other things, policemen from Idlib, which has already been under its control.
– They have uniforms and the signs of the Idlib administration, says ‘s reporter in Damascus Antti Kuronen.
The traffic police interviewed by Kuronen assures that everyone is safe. According to the traffic police, everyone was free in HTS-controlled Idlib.
– We hope that you could visit Idlib. Everyone is free there. You can dress and believe as you want. That’s all, says the traffic police Maher Fastouk.
There is also other information about this. The HTS organization is on the UN, EU and US terrorist list.
It has still been freer in Idlib than in extremist Islamist societies, for example in Afghanistan led by the Taliban. HTS has also managed to manage the region’s infrastructure quite efficiently. Turkey has supported the Idlib regime.
Isis flag flashes in the traffic
In the streets of Damascus, people are still celebrating the change of power and seem to regard HTS policemen and gunmen as great heroes.
However, there are many people who are worried. Many do not believe the moderate speeches of HTS. There is also concern that more radical groups will gain power within the movement.
For example, in Christian neighborhoods, many are afraid, says Kuronen.
In recent years, HTS has not been at the extreme end of the Islamist organizations, there are even more extreme groups in Syria, such as al-Qaeda and Isis. Many suspect that there may be many jihadists belonging to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in Damascus, but they have been told to keep a low profile.
According to Kuronen, the second suspicion is related to the management of HTS. It is unclear whether moderate speech is their true nature.
– A car drove past me with a black flag similar to the one used by Isis. Are they here too, Kuronen wonders.
The intentions of the new administration are still open to speculation
The new interim prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir has promised that the transitional government will only be in power until the beginning of March. Within three months, it should be decided, among other things, what kind of political system will be created in Syria.
The new rulers have not yet given details about the post-transition period or the drafting of a new constitution.
Italian magazine In an interview with Corriere della Sera al-Bashir did not say whether the new constitution would be Islamic or whether elections would be held.
These details will be decided in the constitutional process, he replied to the newspaper.
The government promises protection for minorities
The significance of the change of power in Syria for the future status of Syrians, especially women and minorities, can only be guessed.
HTS is Islamist and previously had ties to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. Many other groups fought under it.
However, in recent years HTS has distanced itself from jihadists and the fundamentalist conception of the Islamic State, even though the individual leaders of the organization have staunch conservatives, writes German newspaper Taz.
For example, women are not required to wear a veil, and they are not excluded from higher education.
Former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford tells the news channel NPR that HTS is not the same as it was when the United States classified it as a terrorist organization. The EU has also classified it as a terrorist organization.
The direction of Syria has been guessed based on, among other things, how HTS has controlled Idlib. The organization has tried to give a modern image of itself and people have had freedoms. It has also cooperated with the UN and other aid organizations.
HTS has repeatedly assured that it protects minorities such as Christians.
in Idlib Head of HTS Ahmed al-Sharaa (under the fighter name Abu Mohammad al-Julani) has cooperated with them and emphasized Syria’s diversity in his speeches.
However, women and minorities have not had a place in the leadership of Idlib. Some have raised the same concern about Syria’s new regime, Reuters notes.
In Idlib, HTS has been accused of suppressing dissent and even compared to al-Assad’s dictatorship, says the British public radio BBC.
HTS has said he wants to to bring continuity and unity to the country.
For the soldiers of Al-Assad’s army, the government promises amnesty. Those who participated in the torture no mercy.
HTS says it is ready to cooperate with any country that does not defend al-Assad. Among other things, the United States has set the condition of relations condemning terrorism, destroying chemical weapons and respecting the rights of women and minorities.
Religious groups:
Ethnic groups:
Source: Minority Rights Group
The introduction of Sharia law can mean very different things
If the new Syrian government decides to introduce Islamic Sharia law, it does not yet say what life would be like in the country.
Professor Hannu Juusola The University of Helsinki states that there are a huge number of different interpretations of what Islamic law means in any given question.
In its mildest forms, it has meant that family law matters, such as marriage and inheritance, fall under the purview of religious courts or follow the interpretation of the law emerging from Sharia.
In a more drastic form, matters of criminal law, for example, are also subject to Sharia interpretation.
If sharia plays a significant role, it means restrictions on the status of women and religious minorities, as well as on democracy. Minorities are protected, but they are not equal.
According to Juusola, based on what is known about Idlib, the Syrian HTS does not seem to be very strict in its interpretations.
– But what their perceptions will be is a separate matter, Juusola states.