Latest news with #Sharaa
Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Liberals fear setback as Syria orders women to wear ‘burkinis'
Syria's government has banned bikinis from public beaches in a set of new guidelines that limit women to wearing 'burkinis' that cover the entire body. The move revives concerns by liberals after the government, led by President Sharaa, sought to allay fears that it would impose a strict interpretation of Islam after toppling Bashar al-Assad in December. Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander, oversaw an Islamist government in his former bastion, Idlib, before leading his troops to the capital, Damascus. 'It will be the natural Syria,' he told The Times and other media in a December interview. 'I think Syria will not deeply intrude on personal freedoms.' He then suggested that 'customs' would be taken into account. His promise had been met with scepticism, but the government has kept a hands-off approach to bars and restaurants serving alcohol in the capital, or imposing dress codes, until now. The new law allows for bikinis in swimming pools and beaches belonging to private hotels and resorts, but states that 'appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society' must be worn in public beaches, and says women have to wear a loose covering over their swimwear before entering the water. Men were also told to cover their chests when not swimming. There are a number of private resorts and luxury hotels alongside the Mediterranean coast that are well beyond the means of most Syrians, where women would be allowed to wear 'normal western swimwear', according to the regulation, as long as long as they were 'within the limits of public taste'. 'In effect, only women who can afford luxury venues are free to choose what they wear — others must wear a burkini,' wrote Haid Haid, a Syrian academic and senior fellow at Chatham House, in a post on X. There had been reports last month of officials already instructing women to start wearing burkinis in public. A Syrian activist, Joseph Megarbane, said the governor of Latakia, which is home to a large number of minorities, had asked church leaders to instruct Christian women to wear the swimwear at beaches. The move will be supported by Sharaa's sizeable base of Islamist militiamen and supporters as the president comes under increasing criticism by Islamist hardliners for failing to impose Islamic law. Both al-Qaeda clerics and the Islamic State have assailed him and the new government. The former militant, who until a few months ago had a $10 million bounty put on his head by the US, has sought to reinvent himself as a moderate figure who can represent all Syrians. After Saudi mediation, Donald Trump agreed to meet him last month, and later praised him as he lifted all sanctions on Syria. Marcio Rubio, the US secretary of state, later said that American intelligence believed that Sharaa's government would collapse in weeks if sanctions had remained in place, sparking a new civil war. The country remains deeply divided as Sharaa tries to negotiate an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls the oil-rich east, and other militia leaders who remain suspicious of the new president. Minorities such as the Druze in the south have also been wary of joining his government, especially after government loyalists massacred hundreds of members of Assad's Alawite sect in March, in response to several attacks by insurgents. The government's choice of justice minister soon after Assad's overthrow had further raised concerns. Shadi al-Waisi had been filmed presiding over the execution of two women in Idlib in 2015, when was a jurist with Sharaa's group. They had both been accused of prostitution. Officials later said that it was a different era, and Sharaa was not interested in repeating the Idlib experience across Syria. The president has been more focused on ensuring that the long-sanctioned country receives adequate fuel supplies and setting decent salaries for civil servants — attempts to show Syrians that Assad's overthrow will lead to a better life after a bloody civil war that killed half a million people.
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pro-Israel rabbi and Trump-linked pastor visit Syria, say peace is possible
BEIRUT, June 11 (Reuters) - Peace between Syria and Israel is "very possible", a Trump-linked evangelical Christian pastor said after he and a pro-Israel American rabbi held talks this week with Syria's Islamist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace in Damascus. Rev. Johnnie Moore, a White House adviser during President Donald Trump's first term, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, from the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, have promoted interfaith dialogue in Arab states for years. The two men met Sharaa late on Monday during a visit to Syria that they said was not aimed at discussing potential ties with Israel, though the topic came up. "I think peace is very possible, if not probable, but the first priority has to be Syria focusing on Syria," Moore told Reuters in a phone interview late on Tuesday, after they had concluded their trip. Sharaa "articulated issues of concern he has, but also the potential for a very positive future", Moore added. A Syrian presidency media official did not respond to a request for comment. Since ousting former strongman Bashar al-Assad last year, Syria's Sunni Muslim rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have rapidly built international ties. But tensions persist with religious minority groups inside Syria, such as Druze and Alawites, as well as with neighbouring Israel. Cooper's visits to nations such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which had no ties with Israel at the time, are credited by some observers with indirectly paving the way for landmark 2020 deals normalising relations. Efforts by the U.S. to bring more Arab states, chiefly Saudi Arabia, into the deals known as the Abraham Accords have faltered amid regional outrage over the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians as a result of Israel's war in Gaza following Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Still, Syria's new rulers have from the outset indicated that they seek calm and even eventual peace with Israel. Moore and Cooper said they believed Sharaa was uniquely able to deliver on a peace-making agenda. "The Syrian president is what in Silicon Valley is called a unicorn; he's one of a kind," Moore said. Cooper added: "What's clear is there is now a window of opportunity to bring about a more positive state of affairs... [though] that doesn't minimize the scale of the task ahead." Last week, Moore was named as the new executive chairman of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has begun distributing aid to the Palestinian territory in an operation that uses private U.S. security and logistics companies and has been criticised by the United Nations. Moore, who has publicly backed Trump's proposal for the United States to take over Gaza, said he did not discuss the GHF and its work with Sharaa during their meeting. Moore and Cooper proposed to Sharaa joint humanitarian projects "to tear down stereotypes and create an unofficial army of goodwill ambassadors". They declined to give details. The two men also met with Syrian Christian leaders and walked freely around Damascus, Cooper wearing his yarmulke without issue, he said. This contrasted with a 2024 visit to Saudi Arabia, where Cooper was asked by a Saudi official to remove his prayer cap, a request he refused, after which the U.S.-Congress mandated delegation he was heading cut short their trip. Israeli officials initially branded Syria's new rulers as "terrorists" due to their al Qaeda past and the Israeli airforce waged a fierce campaign of aerial bombardment that has subsided since mid-May, when Trump turned decades of U.S. policy on its head by lifting sanctions on Syria and meeting Sharaa in Riyadh. After meeting Sharaa, Trump said the Syrian leader had agreed to a request to normalize ties with Israel, though it would take time. Reuters has reported that Syria and Israel in the past weeks held indirect, and then direct talks aimed at calming tensions.
Straits Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Pro-Israel rabbi and Trump-linked pastor visit Syria, say peace is possible
FILE PHOTO: Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper is pictured in his office at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California December 10, 2015. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo Pro-Israel rabbi and Trump-linked pastor visit Syria, say peace is possible BEIRUT - Peace between Syria and Israel is "very possible", a Trump-linked evangelical Christian pastor said after he and a pro-Israel American rabbi held talks this week with Syria's Islamist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace in Damascus. Rev. Johnnie Moore, a White House adviser during President Donald Trump's first term, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, from the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, have promoted interfaith dialogue in Arab states for years. The two men met Sharaa late on Monday during a visit to Syria that they said was not aimed at discussing potential ties with Israel, though the topic came up. "I think peace is very possible, if not probable, but the first priority has to be Syria focusing on Syria," Moore told Reuters in a phone interview late on Tuesday, after they had concluded their trip. Sharaa "articulated issues of concern he has, but also the potential for a very positive future", Moore added. A Syrian presidency media official did not respond to a request for comment. Since ousting former strongman Bashar al-Assad last year, Syria's Sunni Muslim rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have rapidly built international ties. But tensions persist with religious minority groups inside Syria, such as Druze and Alawites, as well as with neighbouring Israel. Cooper's visits to nations such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which had no ties with Israel at the time, are credited by some observers with indirectly paving the way for landmark 2020 deals normalising relations. Efforts by the U.S. to bring more Arab states, chiefly Saudi Arabia, into the deals known as the Abraham Accords have faltered amid regional outrage over the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians as a result of Israel's war in Gaza following Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. 'UNICORN' Still, Syria's new rulers have from the outset indicated that they seek calm and even eventual peace with Israel. Moore and Cooper said they believed Sharaa was uniquely able to deliver on a peace-making agenda. "The Syrian president is what in Silicon Valley is called a unicorn; he's one of a kind," Moore said. Cooper added: "What's clear is there is now a window of opportunity to bring about a more positive state of affairs... [though] that doesn't minimize the scale of the task ahead." Last week, Moore was named as the new executive chairman of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has begun distributing aid to the Palestinian territory in an operation that uses private U.S. security and logistics companies and has been criticised by the United Nations. Moore, who has publicly backed Trump's proposal for the United States to take over Gaza, said he did not discuss the GHF and its work with Sharaa during their meeting. Moore and Cooper proposed to Sharaa joint humanitarian projects "to tear down stereotypes and create an unofficial army of goodwill ambassadors". They declined to give details. The two men also met with Syrian Christian leaders and walked freely around Damascus, Cooper wearing his yarmulke without issue, he said. This contrasted with a 2024 visit to Saudi Arabia, where Cooper was asked by a Saudi official to remove his prayer cap, a request he refused, after which the U.S.-Congress mandated delegation he was heading cut short their trip. Israeli officials initially branded Syria's new rulers as "terrorists" due to their al Qaeda past and the Israeli airforce waged a fierce campaign of aerial bombardment that has subsided since mid-May, when Trump turned decades of U.S. policy on its head by lifting sanctions on Syria and meeting Sharaa in Riyadh. After meeting Sharaa, Trump said the Syrian leader had agreed to a request to normalize ties with Israel, though it would take time. Reuters has reported that Syria and Israel in the past weeks held indirect, and then direct talks aimed at calming tensions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Ya Libnan
11-06-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
US envoy warns of assassination risk for Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa
US Ambassador to Türkiye Thomas Barrack (L) shakes hands with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during a meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 24, 2025. (Turkish MFA) Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa faces significant risks as he pushes for inclusive governance and engagement with the West, with concerns growing that militant factions may target him for assassination. 'We need to coordinate a protection system around [Sharaa],' Ambassador Tom Barrack told Al-Monitor , highlighting the urgency of safeguarding the fragile new leadership. Barrack, Trump's top envoy for Syria, also warned that delays in economic relief and the integration of foreign fighters could fuel instability and violence in the war-torn country. Following Trump's surprising decision to lift all US sanctions on Syria after meeting Sharaa in Riyadh, Barrack confirmed there are no conditions tied to the relief—only expectations of transparency and reform. The administration seeks to support economic recovery, Kurdish forces' integration, and efforts against ISIS. Sanctions waivers will continue until Congress repeals the Caesar Act, with Trump expected to sign an executive order removing decades of Syria sanctions. Syria faces ongoing challenges from Israel's expanded military presence and control over buffer zones. Sharaa has pledged to honor the 1974 ceasefire and hinted at future normalization with Israel. Barrack hopes both sides maintain a 'silent understanding' to avoid further conflict. Internally, sectarian violence and revenge killings threaten stability, but Barrack credits Sharaa's government with managing these issues under difficult circumstances. TURKEY TODAY
Gulf Insider
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
US To Formalize Military Presence In Syria
The US is working to formalize its military presence in Syria by signing a deal with the new al-Qaeda-linked government, according to a report from The New Arab . The report was published Friday and said that a high-level US military delegation was expected to meet with Syrian officials in the coming days with the goal of shifting the US military presence from an illegal occupation to a formalized, legal partnership. The report comes as the US has been drawing down its forces in northeastern Syria and handing over some bases to the Kurdish-led SDF. The US is expected to maintain only one base in Syria, the al-Tanf Garrison in the south, which is situated where the borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan converge. From al-Tanf, the US helped its proxy militia, known as the Syrian Free Army (previously known as the Revolutionary Commando Army), join in on the offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024. A formal deal on al-Tanf would signal that the US is planning a long-term or even potentially a permanent military presence in Syria. The Pentagon has said that it's currently working to reduce its forces in Syria to fewer than 1,000 troops in the country. According to the latest reports, approximately 1,500 US troops are currently stationed in the country. The US has embraced the new Syrian government that's led by HTS despite the group still being listed by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization due to its al-Qaeda roots. President Trump recently met with HTS's leader and Syria's de facto president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and praised him as a 'young, attractive guy' with a 'very strong past.' Sharaa got his start with al-Qaeda in Iraq, where he fought an insurgency against US troops before being imprisoned from 2006 to 2011. In 2012, he traveled to Syria and formed al-Qaeda's affiliate in the country, the al-Nusra Front. In 2016, Sharaa claimed the al-Nusra Front was cutting ties with al-Qaeda. At the time, he thanked the 'commanders of al-Qaeda for having understood the need to break ties.' In 2017, he merged his group with several other Islamist factions to form HTS. Also read: 'Clean Sweep': RFK Jr. Boots Entire CDC 'Rubber-Stamp' Vax Panel
