Vom Dschihadisten zum Islamisten: Ahmad al-Sharaa und seine Kritiker

Writing in *Jihadica*, Hoover Fellow [Cole Bunzel](https://www.hoover.org/profiles/cole-bunzel) explores the public statements made over the years by Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the leading rebel group that toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last month. He finds al-Sharaa has repeatedly emphasized the need for the future Syrian state to be governed according to sharia law. But since becoming de facto leader of the nation, al-Sharaa is sounding a slightly different tune. Bunzel points out that the bars and liquor stores of Damascus remain open. So, what shape will Syria’s future government take? It’s unclear, but al-Sharaa has said it should be “representative.”