As a syrian this is such a fever dream. I used to travel to our village which was deep in al nusrs territories. The check points used to ask me to recite quran verses. Didn’t react when i said i couldn’t remember any. Couple of days ago i was in the chirstisn quarter in old Damascus (bab sharqi), at a street alcohol vendor taking a shot. An hts patrol was walking. I jokingly raised the shotglass cheering them. They smiled in ny face and raised victory fingers up and walked off. What the fuck is happening lol. At least so far in Damascus, they aren’t interfering in social issues at all. They actually are guarding Christmas trees and churches after small attacks by foreigner fighters were reported. This is not real life man. Neo-libral jihadis are real wtf is this.
Honestly tho. Id take god fearing islamists than assad. Assad not only was a butcher, but a failed statesman. The country has not been “at war” for 5 years and assad did nothing to revive the country in anyway. They just got corrupted as ever and introduced shitty conscription laws. Wtf is getting conscripted for 7 years?? No wonder everyone wants to leave the country.
The whole world seems to be on your side too, a beautiful thing. Hopefully it continues, from a cinical perspective they might just be "liberal" for the long game of having sanctions lifted etc. But on the other hand maybe they have seen the devastation that factionisation has caused in Libya etc and want a better future. I hope the best for you and your country though!
@@tomwalsh96let’s be for real tho. If living in syria through the brutal last decade taught me anything, we are sick of being geopolitical pawns. Syrian now are different than 10 years ago, people look past sectarian hatred, they went through so much war no one wants it for any reason. Syria is diverse asf. Sure sunnis are the majority but sunnis in syria are different from sunni in jordan or saudi arabia. They don’t want sharia. We have a ton of ethinc groups. Even if hts is doing this for pr. They can’t afford fucking it up because any implementation if sharia will cause an uproar and another war.
@@tomwalsh96also on “libya” point. People who say that infuriate me because syria was already worse than libya. 12 mill refugees and 600-800k dead. And half a dozen enclaves of different ruling groups. Make no mistake, we are cautious of hts, but at this point anything is better than assads status quo
@@Aka-293 Christmas tree in Syria? Yeah, just ordered it on Amazon and for good measure had it delivered personally by the Pope himself whom now turns out has a side gig working for Amazon on Wednesdays?🤣2024 is just full of surprises
The civil war has been going on for more than half my life. All that time Syria was the place where children died in bombings. Its almost weird to see even a glimmer of hope for Syria
Im 34 and remember when Syria was relatively peaceful. When I was closer to your age, the Bush administration was furious with Syria because they facilitated Syrian fighters' travel to Iraq. Then those fighters came home after the Arab spring. Human stupidity has no limits apparently.
Mussolini from communist to a fascist so never underestimate the importance of ambition in shaping ideological identity. Sometimes the ideology is nothing more than a means to the end that end being political power. So although I’m not saying that’s the case I can’t dismiss that golani isn’t willing to moderate his position if it offers the a better opportunity to consolidate control of Syria.
Some people had an emo phase. For Ahmed Al-Sharaa, he had a Wahhabi phase. I jest, but that parallel does track. See, 20 years back he's just an angry young man who wanted the Levant to be more free and "righteously governed" - less corrupt essentially. When the Americans invaded Iraq in 2003 to finish what they started in 1991 (and foolishly dragged out for a decade to the detriment of a generation of Iraqi civilians living under the privations of sanctions), Al-Sharaa became convinced that only the Wahhabi coalition nominally led by Al Qaeda could bring change to the Levant. So he signed onto the program. He eventually got deployed to Syria. Around this time he adopted the now well known alias of Al-Jolani But as he got older, he saw firsthand how these Wahhabi orgs were just as corrupt as the incumbent Ba'athists. Then Daesh went full doomsday - so much that everyone in the Wahhabi gang disowned them. But since Daesh was also the most extreme, they got the most recruits to sign up too. That's what begun the hollowing out of Wahhabi armed global Jihadism. By now it's like 2015-16 and Al-Jolani is scheming an exit plan. He'd execute that in 2017 when he managed to turn his faction of militants away from the Wahhabi program and towards a more moderate platform centered at liberating Syria from Ba'athist autocracy and free it from Assad-Russian terror bombings. The Yanks were leery of this shift and decided to keep him as a designated individual for the time being, and HTS caught the same designation by association. That was 2017. Now it's 2024, and safe to say Al-Sharaa has outgrown his angry young Wahhabi radical phase. He's still a revolutionary, sure. But a much more moderated one. Now that he's off the designated persons list, his next challenge is to rebuild Syria, while ridding it of Turkish influence so he can get back to federal unity with the entire realm. He's going to need the Kurds on the program, since that's where the gas fields are. Syria needs that revenue stream to rebuild, and so long as Erdogan is hell bent on genocide of Kurds, Syria won't be at peace just yet. One battle after another. The SNA merely accompanied HTS to Aleppo. Then they went separate ways. HTS and their southern allies took on the Assad regime and liberated Syria. The SNA occupied themselves with killing the Kurds.
To be fair, he was a very young man when the war started. Nearly two decades of war could make a person a lot less ideological. I doubt he will be anything other than an Islamists who shuns democracy and human rights, but he seems like he is a realist who knows he needs to make concession for his new government to survive.
"The keys to gain power are not always the same as the keys to maintaining power." Being single minded in your convictions and actions is a surefire way to fail the second the situation changes. It's quite rather redundant to be a terrorist when you're in charge of the government.
@@johnkonde1975no duh there are plenty of white Muslims… what race do you think the entirety of Syria is? W H I T E. White people are not exclusive to Europe.
What surprises me is that he doesn’t seem to retaliate against Israel. Normally what they did would be considered an affront. But I guess he’s truly trying to maintain the fragile peace in wake of the rebel victory.
It'd be incredibly foolish of them to retaliate against Israel at this stage.. they are definitely not equipped to take on the IDF-- basically if they tried the IDF would almost completely decimate them like they did to Hezbollah in Lebanon-- and HTS are busy consolidating power in the segment of Syria they now control. Not in their interest right now. It's certainly a very personal issue with Golani since he's from Golan Heights, though..
He's a radical Islamist trying to hide as a normal person. If he survives 10+ years in power then we will see his true intentions but I doubt he will survive with a 10million $ bounty on his head for being in ISIS
Even though Christians are already being murdered, churches desecrated and Christmas decorations trashed and set on fire. Also Christians are being threatened and harassed. There are Muslims going around in cars saying to Christians “your time is coming”. I have the sources.
And that’s not a good thing am Syrian , the minority card is used by the west and whites to get involved in Syria and subjugate the Sunnis and you are young weeb who seeks western validation we Muslims lost Syria we didn’t win
It makes perfect logical sense to be wary of him, but I do think he is smart enough to recognize this is a golden opportunity towards a peaceful and prosperous Syria. Which, if looked at selfishly, would probably be in his own best interest. Man I want to believe him so bad. Especially with that closing CNN quote.
Just why wouldn't you believe him? Man i never understood why we are this harsh only on these Islamist groups I'm absolutely not trying to defend their ideologies but just saying why can't we give a former member of them another chance.. like must of these people were young and very lost when they joined them and they possibly thought that this is the way of life and this is how they get the answers that they want.. and i know for a fact a lot of them didn't get their hands dirty I don't know maybe I'm being delusional but i want to have hope for him because as a Syrian that's the only thing i've got
@@Raul-q7bthey are encouraging people to turn in their guns. To them, it sounds like a good thing, but it's a red flag. They need a first and second amendment.
The man has a problematic past, to be sure. But if he manages to bring peace, then we shouldn't be trying to treat him as a monster. Wait and see, should be the policy with him.
@@eddyr1041well even if its impossible he tried. Who are even fit for this job ? Assad ? since the first time assad lead he show incompetence. In fact many baathis party in syria know he was unfit
December 24th remarks from an international investigative researcher journalist living in the United states. This is one of the most excellent reports I've seen on this character so thank you very much for all of the details which were covered by some international news agencies but not in the depth did you have. I just wish you would talk a little bit slower because I know you have a time limit with what you're trying to produce but it was a little hard to keep up listening to you at some moments but your report was the most excellent. I live in Ohio in the United States and I thank you sincerely for your journalistic research. I'm a new fan
"Freedom fighters", or whatever you want to call them, rarely make good leaders but maybe he'll surprise everyone. Or not. He seems to know how to play the long game so anything he does right now probably won't tell us much. Once his power is firmly established and he doesn't need to worry about rival factions we'll find out what kind of leader he'll be.
The new government doesnt need to consist of saints overnight adopting a liberal democracy to still be a major improvement over a regime that murdered hundreds of thousands, tortured many more, used chemical weapons, destroyed the country, and turn half of the population into refugees...
For the sake of ALL Syrian people, let's hope, that he will be the person that will transform Syria...... But, transform Syria in the light and the needs and the culture of the Middle East, not in the light how we in the West percive transformation, which is, in our own concepts, that might work in the West, but, do not necessarily work in cultures that are different to ours.......
It’s wise to be skeptical of al-Sharaa, but Syria is a place where transformations can happen. Saul became St. Paul in Damascus. Maybe this one time jihadi grew up and decided to be Syria’s Ataturk, Washington, or Gandhi
Whether you like him or not, this leader will be remembered in history, just like Che Guevara. Some might even say that Abu Muhammad al-Jolani achieved more, fighting in one of the most violent civil wars in modern history. He faced enemies from every side: ISIS wanted to kill him, the Assad regime and Russia tried to destroy him, and even the United States put a $10 million bounty on his head. On top of that, rival revolutionary groups wanted to overthrow him, and in 2021, betrayals within his own group made his position more dangerous than ever. Yet, against all odds, al-Jolani not only survived but won decisive victories against all his enemies. He didn’t just succeed on the battlefield-he also learned from his struggles and grew stronger. Over time, he gained the respect of many Syrians with his calm approach and fair policies. In a surprising move, he declared his victory without revenge, even pardoning soldiers from the former regime. This is the story of a man who turned overwhelming challenges into triumphs, proving that resilience and strategy can overcome even the toughest of battles، And change is real. But unfortunately, not all stories are perfect. This man's past will continue to haunt him .
At least he grew and learnt the hard way. He ain't like Muhammad Omar and his Taliban successors, but a man who really wanted reforms. He ain't even forced women to wear the mandatory niqab, mostly hijab. His government was inclusive, he let the former SAA to surrender peacefully and in exchange, assurance that they're not gonna be harmed. He also reached hands with the real ones who took out Damascus, the Southern Operations Room and the Syrian Free Army. He really wasn't the old JaN leader who wanted radical Islam and radical Shari'a Law. He changed, all those years made him see beyond Islamist ideological extremes.
The Middle East has been subject to turmoil for thousands of years. This is potentially another chapter but hopefully the Syrian people can get a peaceful existence for as many years as possible.
Most of the history of the Middle East was being a vassel of a massive empire. Nation states have never existed in the region, then became a playground for proxy wars to this day. The Middle East is also home to some of the greatest cities and nations in human history. It can get better.
from al-Qaeda fundamentalist to a Muslim brotherhood pragmatist... Neither his opinions nor his goals changed, only his idea of how it would be best to implement them. Muslims love to say that "the patient one will win", well, he is just being patient.
People who hate Islam but don’t know no more than what the media shows you, it is haram (haram is an Islamic/arabic word that means prohibited/illegal against the religion) to not follow the law of the land in which you reside in, or passing through. The only time you can refuse to follow the law of the land, is when thus law of the land goes against the religion, n I mean something very serious that goes totally against the religion, for instance, along the lines of but not just limited to, some law saying Muslims cannot pray anymore, or women cannot cover up at all anymore
obviously Al-Sharaa/Al-Golani is an extremely complicated person, i want to believe that his pragmatism outweighs his fundementalism. there seems to be good signs, i just hope it isn't another taliban situation where they make nice sounding promises and do none of them.
Well, if it's the correct way to say it, why not get this detail right if yer makin a short documentary bout the person? Assuming that this is correct though. @anonpsude281
"Stone whomever," 🤣 I love the inflection Simon used here. Great video! I've been following the conflict for years, over a decade actually, and I have to admit that I didn't know nearly this much about Al-Golani, so I appreciate your concise summary. Love the coverage; love the nuance. Please keep it up!
Hoping this guy can pave the way for a peaceful Syria, independent from foreign influence. A Syria for syrians, not Iran, Russia, Turkiye or any other power
Thanks for that beginning to current description of his path. I want to be hopeful for Syria and its future diplomacy efforts but there's many reasons to be warry instead.
I say this cautiously but real sustained peace is possible here... There does come a point where after so much war and suffering; seeing the same trends repeat over and over... that from common person to the nation's leader, there's a collective realisation of the value of peace. Time will tell but there are real signs that this could be different and perhaps reflective of how eras in history (i.e. Middle East at war so often) do not last forever; things do change eventually...
I really sat & watched this video all the way thru while on the toilet. Ddnt even realize it till my roomate started pounding on the door 😂. Great video.
The guy is Brave and honorable something rare in our time. please leave him alone. Leave the syrians decide who governs them. He went to iraq to resist an illegal invasion, that of the US. It is big positive , something to admire. He led the offensive against a terrorist regime that tortured and killed millions and succeeded in that. I think the west should stay the F away from syrian and leave the man lead. He is a true leader and a brave brave man.
We're too busy dealing with Trump rn If he wants to doge an invasion hold an election and declare a secular government religious extremism is poison no matter the faith
Yeah, I'm American and I have to agree.. he seems like a genuine man and I have a good feeling about him. I understand why he went to Iraq to resist the invasion.. and he genuinely does seem to want to allow Syrians of different beliefs to practice what they wish despite his past affiliations. Syrians also should be allowed to choose who leads them after toppling such a monstrous dictator and enduring so much.. I hope Turkey and Israel (and also the US) stop f*cking around in Syria and allow things to settle how they may.
Julani really purged Al-Qaeda outta his group. The ones survived that purge became the Hurras al-Din. HTS stripped their headline Jihadist theme, and wore the moderate Islamist ideology that was once held by Islamic Front.
I think the Middle East may also be seeing some relief deep down that the age of US conquests and interventions has truly gone passed its peak... Like a release valve, easing anxiety and thus less likely to turn on one another and more likely to look inward w/ less existential threat; realising that 'we' (they) can create our own world of peace and focus on one another
This is going to be a very big "wait and see". I honestly don't know what to think of which way Syria will go now. My biases tell me to expect an Ayatollah style ruler, but we'll see.
This is such a loaded statement "there is blood on his hands". How do you participate in a war without killing people? Or are you saying he should not have fought and let Assad stay in power? Somebody else wrote this for you to say but please, read it beforehand.
Only time will tell if this is going to be a net positive for Syria of it's going to devolve into the same thing we're witnessing in Afghanistan. I hope it's a step in the right direction.
Anyone who thinks this guy went from jihadi nut case to a moderate who will liberalise Syria are nuts,even if he has had this transformation the thousands of fighters under him certainly haven’t
He'll be more moderate/less repressive than Assad, at least. Also, it's too soon to tell. What the fighters want won't matter if the people overwhelmingly don't want it - and the people are, generally, completely fucking sick of dictators, Assadist or Islamist.
As Syrian brown skinned proudly uncivilized Muslim I am proudly happy that he will not be Modernist because that means he will submit to the white race and I am proudly Islamist a brown skinned and dark Orc who seek the end of elfs ( the west ) by God I mean it
His most fundamentalist followers left and joined ISIS, leaving him with people that, while Islamist, were notably less radical than ISIS was. I can’t help but think that the rise and fall of ISIS may have had a profound effect on Golani and the Syrian rebels as a whole.
It's a very pragmatic move. HTS could just look at Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States and see how rich and prosperous an Islamic nation could be is they just reel in the international Jihadi rhetoric and stay out of the media cycle.
Gulf states rely on oil, repression of any local opposition and alliance with the west. Jihadi rhetoric's popularity among the masses is partly due to these corrupt monarchies in the first place.
@@azwerbukhari579Memangnya kenapa dengan minyak ? Negara afrika memiliki sumber daya yang sama, tapi jauh lebih miskin. Selain itu negara-negara teluk telah melakukan diversifikasi ekonomi.
He should help them build a government then become a top tier diplomat. Bring Syria back into the international fold after stepping away from the violent civil war. Make the international community see what happened under Assad and then make Assad pay. Help to bring Syrians back home to a country that they can feel safe in. Please don’t fuck this up.
The war in Ukraine toppled Assad. It also shows that Russia isn't on the same level as the US. The US military is built to handle two wars simultaneously anywhere in the world. It can do this while fighting ISIS in Syria and other groups worldwide. Russia is in a war with its neighbor and still can project the ability to support and protect its ally on the same continent.
Abo means father Mohamad is a noun Golani means he is from Golan heights in Syria. Abo Mohammad ( Father of Mohammad ) is the way nicknames work in Syria. it just means his older son named Mohammad
“jihadism” is and has always been a modern reaction to the west. it isn’t indigenous to the region. people are shocked at “tolerant” jihadis, but forget that these communities have lived in syria for hundreds if not thousands of years…muslims, christians, druze, shia…under caliphates, sultanates, monarchies, presidents, dictators, etc…they don’t need the west to tell them how to live.
Is he really the man that overthrew Assad? Or was the man that overthrew Assad, Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Al-Golani is the kid that won a pinewood derby race: He gets to stand at the podium and collect the trophy, when everyone knows that it was his dad that actually built the car.
Its gruesome what Assad and his henchmen did. Just looking at the google images of Caesar’s file alone would make any decent persons hairs stand-up. I hope justice is served. We said never again’ before but it keeps happening
His name Golani is pronounced with a J sound. Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani. Jo-lani not Go-lani. Seems like a pretty basic fact you'd know if you watched a three minute aljazeera news clip on him. Not sure how you missed it.
"Golan" heights is pronounced jolan in Arabic. This is the English-friendly version of an Arabic demonym. The words Golan and Golan heights are exonyms. We call it al-Jolan or either Hadhbat-el-Jolan هضبة الجولان with Hadhbat roughly meaning plateau. My family has origins and history there as well.
Well in arabic the letter is a ج which depending on the dialect you use might be pronounced as a J or a G, classic Quranic arabic is a J for example, and Egyptian dialect is a G
As a syrian this is such a fever dream. I used to travel to our village which was deep in al nusrs territories. The check points used to ask me to recite quran verses. Didn’t react when i said i couldn’t remember any. Couple of days ago i was in the chirstisn quarter in old Damascus (bab sharqi), at a street alcohol vendor taking a shot. An hts patrol was walking. I jokingly raised the shotglass cheering them. They smiled in ny face and raised victory fingers up and walked off. What the fuck is happening lol. At least so far in Damascus, they aren’t interfering in social issues at all. They actually are guarding Christmas trees and churches after small attacks by foreigner fighters were reported. This is not real life man. Neo-libral jihadis are real wtf is this.
Honestly tho. Id take god fearing islamists than assad. Assad not only was a butcher, but a failed statesman. The country has not been “at war” for 5 years and assad did nothing to revive the country in anyway. They just got corrupted as ever and introduced shitty conscription laws. Wtf is getting conscripted for 7 years?? No wonder everyone wants to leave the country.
The whole world seems to be on your side too, a beautiful thing.
Hopefully it continues, from a cinical perspective they might just be "liberal" for the long game of having sanctions lifted etc. But on the other hand maybe they have seen the devastation that factionisation has caused in Libya etc and want a better future.
I hope the best for you and your country though!
@@tomwalsh96let’s be for real tho. If living in syria through the brutal last decade taught me anything, we are sick of being geopolitical pawns. Syrian now are different than 10 years ago, people look past sectarian hatred, they went through so much war no one wants it for any reason. Syria is diverse asf. Sure sunnis are the majority but sunnis in syria are different from sunni in jordan or saudi arabia. They don’t want sharia. We have a ton of ethinc groups. Even if hts is doing this for pr. They can’t afford fucking it up because any implementation if sharia will cause an uproar and another war.
@@tomwalsh96also on “libya” point. People who say that infuriate me because syria was already worse than libya. 12 mill refugees and 600-800k dead. And half a dozen enclaves of different ruling groups. Make no mistake, we are cautious of hts, but at this point anything is better than assads status quo
Thank you so much for the comment
Update: catholic Christmas has been made a state holiday in Syria.
Hopefully the region learns ro love and accept. War sucks lol
True🎉
But why did the Christmas Tree burn?
@@Aka-293 Don't know but they are apparently putting guards around them now.
@@Aka-293 Christmas tree in Syria? Yeah, just ordered it on Amazon and for good measure had it delivered personally by the Pope himself whom now turns out has a side gig working for Amazon on Wednesdays?🤣2024 is just full of surprises
More Syria content, and I'm here for it.
Well, expect years of it.
Show haven’t even started yet. Buckle up
Seriously. I'm not getting much about Syria in my "legacy" news diet.
The civil war has been going on for more than half my life.
All that time Syria was the place where children died in bombings.
Its almost weird to see even a glimmer of hope for Syria
Im 34 and remember when Syria was relatively peaceful. When I was closer to your age, the Bush administration was furious with Syria because they facilitated Syrian fighters' travel to Iraq. Then those fighters came home after the Arab spring. Human stupidity has no limits apparently.
I was in middle then high school when this war started. To see it come to an end in real time is kinda surreal. Actual history right in front of you.
A glimmer of hope??? A glimmer of hope?? It’s worse then it’s ever been and doesn’t look to get better
@@Zoomer_Analysisyou said without a clue
@@neofulcrum5013it’s not over yet untill the Turks screw off and the Kurds are reunified
From a literal terrorist to a “ moderate rebel” it never changes does it
Mussolini from communist to a fascist so never underestimate the importance of ambition in shaping ideological identity. Sometimes the ideology is nothing more than a means to the end that end being political power. So although I’m not saying that’s the case I can’t dismiss that golani isn’t willing to moderate his position if it offers the a better opportunity to consolidate control of Syria.
Some people had an emo phase. For Ahmed Al-Sharaa, he had a Wahhabi phase.
I jest, but that parallel does track. See, 20 years back he's just an angry young man who wanted the Levant to be more free and "righteously governed" - less corrupt essentially.
When the Americans invaded Iraq in 2003 to finish what they started in 1991 (and foolishly dragged out for a decade to the detriment of a generation of Iraqi civilians living under the privations of sanctions), Al-Sharaa became convinced that only the Wahhabi coalition nominally led by Al Qaeda could bring change to the Levant. So he signed onto the program. He eventually got deployed to Syria. Around this time he adopted the now well known alias of Al-Jolani
But as he got older, he saw firsthand how these Wahhabi orgs were just as corrupt as the incumbent Ba'athists. Then Daesh went full doomsday - so much that everyone in the Wahhabi gang disowned them. But since Daesh was also the most extreme, they got the most recruits to sign up too. That's what begun the hollowing out of Wahhabi armed global Jihadism.
By now it's like 2015-16 and Al-Jolani is scheming an exit plan. He'd execute that in 2017 when he managed to turn his faction of militants away from the Wahhabi program and towards a more moderate platform centered at liberating Syria from Ba'athist autocracy and free it from Assad-Russian terror bombings. The Yanks were leery of this shift and decided to keep him as a designated individual for the time being, and HTS caught the same designation by association.
That was 2017. Now it's 2024, and safe to say Al-Sharaa has outgrown his angry young Wahhabi radical phase. He's still a revolutionary, sure. But a much more moderated one.
Now that he's off the designated persons list, his next challenge is to rebuild Syria, while ridding it of Turkish influence so he can get back to federal unity with the entire realm. He's going to need the Kurds on the program, since that's where the gas fields are. Syria needs that revenue stream to rebuild, and so long as Erdogan is hell bent on genocide of Kurds, Syria won't be at peace just yet. One battle after another. The SNA merely accompanied HTS to Aleppo. Then they went separate ways. HTS and their southern allies took on the Assad regime and liberated Syria. The SNA occupied themselves with killing the Kurds.
Words have no meaning because our media is so full of shit. They call murderers terrorists, and terrorists rebels, and so on.
To be fair, he was a very young man when the war started. Nearly two decades of war could make a person a lot less ideological. I doubt he will be anything other than an Islamists who shuns democracy and human rights, but he seems like he is a realist who knows he needs to make concession for his new government to survive.
"The keys to gain power are not always the same as the keys to maintaining power."
Being single minded in your convictions and actions is a surefire way to fail the second the situation changes. It's quite rather redundant to be a terrorist when you're in charge of the government.
Simon and editing crew, have a wonderful christmas.
Certainly a far better Christmas than Christians living in Syria.
@louisbabycos106 How unfortunate for them, helds in the hands of the saracen. I hope they will find some peace this day.
@@louisbabycos106better than living under a chemical warfare using dictator
@louisbabycos106 early reports are that they're doing OK and they're even receiving protection from the current regime
“Withdrawn, painfully introverted, but smart and good looking” he’s like the Muslim Ryan Gosling
There are plenty of whyte Muslims so Ryan Gosling can be Muslim too
@@johnkonde1975 OP said nothing about race or ethnicity.
@@SuperCoon88 Exactly, Ryan Gosling isn’t a person, it’s a concept.
@@SuperCoon88Exactly, Ryan Gosling isn’t a person, it’s a *concept*
@@johnkonde1975no duh there are plenty of white Muslims… what race do you think the entirety of Syria is? W H I T E. White people are not exclusive to Europe.
What surprises me is that he doesn’t seem to retaliate against Israel. Normally what they did would be considered an affront.
But I guess he’s truly trying to maintain the fragile peace in wake of the rebel victory.
@@neofulcrum5013 or because he knows Israel will destroy him
Real talk, he’s probably happy all those weapons are gone as he barely had any control over them.
It'd be incredibly foolish of them to retaliate against Israel at this stage.. they are definitely not equipped to take on the IDF-- basically if they tried the IDF would almost completely decimate them like they did to Hezbollah in Lebanon-- and HTS are busy consolidating power in the segment of Syria they now control. Not in their interest right now. It's certainly a very personal issue with Golani since he's from Golan Heights, though..
He's a radical Islamist trying to hide as a normal person. If he survives 10+ years in power then we will see his true intentions but I doubt he will survive with a 10million $ bounty on his head for being in ISIS
He doesn't want to end up dead on an IDF -or western- airstrike. It serves no purpose. Who remembers al-baghdadi, al-zarqawi or any other?
I hope for peace and prosperity for the people of Syria.
He's still breathing so he must be doing something right.
CIA - MOSSAD
@@Eirikhauge91 the next thing you said that Vietnam was CIA as well and there's no defeats in Nam or something like that
Merry Christmas to the crew and Simon
the guy just made christmas legal.
Even though Christians are already being murdered, churches desecrated and Christmas decorations trashed and set on fire. Also Christians are being threatened and harassed. There are Muslims going around in cars saying to Christians “your time is coming”. I have the sources.
Not just that, he declared it a national holiday.
@ lol When a islamist is based: makes another abrahamic religion’s holiday legal
And that’s not a good thing am Syrian , the minority card is used by the west and whites to get involved in Syria and subjugate the Sunnis and you are young weeb who seeks western validation we Muslims lost Syria we didn’t win
He knows they need to build together. And his Jihadi mission is over. He kicked the door in on the Assad regime.
It makes perfect logical sense to be wary of him, but I do think he is smart enough to recognize this is a golden opportunity towards a peaceful and prosperous Syria. Which, if looked at selfishly, would probably be in his own best interest. Man I want to believe him so bad. Especially with that closing CNN quote.
Even a terrorist can change lol ....rare but it happens
Just why wouldn't you believe him? Man i never understood why we are this harsh only on these Islamist groups
I'm absolutely not trying to defend their ideologies but just saying why can't we give a former member of them another chance.. like must of these people were young and very lost when they joined them and they possibly thought that this is the way of life and this is how they get the answers that they want.. and i know for a fact a lot of them didn't get their hands dirty
I don't know maybe I'm being delusional but i want to have hope for him because as a Syrian that's the only thing i've got
He won't be as bad as Assad or Taliban.
@@Raul-q7bthey are encouraging people to turn in their guns. To them, it sounds like a good thing, but it's a red flag. They need a first and second amendment.
@@Raul-q7b because historically it doesn't end well but gets worse. So far he seems to be doing well in the right direction
The man has a problematic past, to be sure. But if he manages to bring peace, then we shouldn't be trying to treat him as a monster. Wait and see, should be the policy with him.
Syria is not unified yet
Yeah , but his job sound impossible
@@eddyr1041well even if its impossible he tried. Who are even fit for this job ? Assad ? since the first time assad lead he show incompetence. In fact many baathis party in syria know he was unfit
"Problematic" yeah that's one way of saying it haha 😂
Keep the syria related content coming !!!
December 24th remarks from an international investigative researcher journalist living in the United states. This is one of the most excellent reports I've seen on this character so thank you very much for all of the details which were covered by some international news agencies but not in the depth did you have. I just wish you would talk a little bit slower because I know you have a time limit with what you're trying to produce but it was a little hard to keep up listening to you at some moments but your report was the most excellent. I live in Ohio in the United States and I thank you sincerely for your journalistic research. I'm a new fan
And if your wish don't come thru you can always treat yourself to a line of no-no snow before watching. That's how the old fans do it. 🤣
@@poonoi1968 LMAO
If I'm tired, i watch Simon at 75% speed. I've always had a slight problem with the speed of his speech and my ability to process it.
I watch him at 1.75x
This was one of my favorite videos you guys have done, so much info in a very digestible way. Thanks for all of your hard work!
"Freedom fighters", or whatever you want to call them, rarely make good leaders but maybe he'll surprise everyone. Or not. He seems to know how to play the long game so anything he does right now probably won't tell us much. Once his power is firmly established and he doesn't need to worry about rival factions we'll find out what kind of leader he'll be.
The new government doesnt need to consist of saints overnight adopting a liberal democracy to still be a major improvement over a regime that murdered hundreds of thousands, tortured many more, used chemical weapons, destroyed the country, and turn half of the population into refugees...
For the sake of ALL Syrian people, let's hope, that he will be the person that will transform Syria......
But, transform Syria in the light and the needs and the culture of the Middle East, not in the light how we in the West percive transformation, which is, in our own concepts, that might work in the West, but, do not necessarily work in cultures that are different to ours.......
I love the typewriter title cards
The editing crew needs a big Christmas bonus. Such great video making
It’s wise to be skeptical of al-Sharaa, but Syria is a place where transformations can happen. Saul became St. Paul in Damascus. Maybe this one time jihadi grew up and decided to be Syria’s Ataturk, Washington, or Gandhi
Whether you like him or not, this leader will be remembered in history, just like Che Guevara. Some might even say that Abu Muhammad al-Jolani achieved more, fighting in one of the most violent civil wars in modern history. He faced enemies from every side: ISIS wanted to kill him, the Assad regime and Russia tried to destroy him, and even the United States put a $10 million bounty on his head. On top of that, rival revolutionary groups wanted to overthrow him, and in 2021, betrayals within his own group made his position more dangerous than ever.
Yet, against all odds, al-Jolani not only survived but won decisive victories against all his enemies. He didn’t just succeed on the battlefield-he also learned from his struggles and grew stronger. Over time, he gained the respect of many Syrians with his calm approach and fair policies. In a surprising move, he declared his victory without revenge, even pardoning soldiers from the former regime.
This is the story of a man who turned overwhelming challenges into triumphs, proving that resilience and strategy can overcome even the toughest of battles، And change is real.
But unfortunately, not all stories are perfect. This man's past will continue to haunt him .
At least he grew and learnt the hard way. He ain't like Muhammad Omar and his Taliban successors, but a man who really wanted reforms.
He ain't even forced women to wear the mandatory niqab, mostly hijab. His government was inclusive, he let the former SAA to surrender peacefully and in exchange, assurance that they're not gonna be harmed. He also reached hands with the real ones who took out Damascus, the Southern Operations Room and the Syrian Free Army. He really wasn't the old JaN leader who wanted radical Islam and radical Shari'a Law. He changed, all those years made him see beyond Islamist ideological extremes.
Thanks I kinda like them now well put story
Just feeding the algo, don't mind me mate. Great upload. Merry Christmas
The Middle East has been subject to turmoil for thousands of years. This is potentially another chapter but hopefully the Syrian people can get a peaceful existence for as many years as possible.
Has never been at peace sadly and never will be.
@@DuckGoat-mr9tu it has you guys are just fucking forgetful as fuck
Most of the history of the Middle East was being a vassel of a massive empire. Nation states have never existed in the region, then became a playground for proxy wars to this day.
The Middle East is also home to some of the greatest cities and nations in human history. It can get better.
@@AL-lh2ht Yeah most MENA cities are older than when the Europeans started thinking of themselves as French or British etc
Thousands of years? What are you talking about?
It's syrian Golan heights, not disputed golan heights
what is syria
It's not disputed or syria it's israel
@@almoghadad856if it was Germany you'd be whining about Danzig is polish
@@almoghadad856if it was Germany you'd be whining about Danzig is polish
Merry Christmas Simon and your crew.
You guys do great work and it's appreciated.
Definitely need a video on the Great Syrian Revolt
And the Franco Syrian treaty of independence of 1936, and the evacuation day of 1946
There is already one, the name's Syrian Warfare!
I'm hoping he is smart, has a big heart for his own country and wants peace.
Unfortunately I think it will be Libya 2.0
@@louisbabycos106 only time will tell.
@@louisbabycos106you think all middle eastern nations are the same? Those two are very different from each other
We are already much worse than Libya
@@AL-lh2htmasalahnya terlalu banyak kepentingan asing di suriah.
from al-Qaeda fundamentalist to a Muslim brotherhood pragmatist... Neither his opinions nor his goals changed, only his idea of how it would be best to implement them. Muslims love to say that "the patient one will win", well, he is just being patient.
People who hate Islam but don’t know no more than what the media shows you, it is haram (haram is an Islamic/arabic word that means prohibited/illegal against the religion) to not follow the law of the land in which you reside in, or passing through. The only time you can refuse to follow the law of the land, is when thus law of the land goes against the religion, n I mean something very serious that goes totally against the religion, for instance, along the lines of but not just limited to, some law saying Muslims cannot pray anymore, or women cannot cover up at all anymore
Excellent overview of al-Sharaa's life. Thanks for this.
obviously Al-Sharaa/Al-Golani is an extremely complicated person, i want to believe that his pragmatism outweighs his fundementalism. there seems to be good signs, i just hope it isn't another taliban situation where they make nice sounding promises and do none of them.
He has some principal. But his group has been hypocritical.
Taliban was convincing the US to leave so they could take over. Rebels tossed out Assad. That's the difference.
Enjoyable to watch, Nice and fascinating video, great man Simon thank you very much.
Goes to show how big an impact powerful allies have. Imagine how long ago Assad’s regime would have fallen if it didn’t have Russia.
Al-Sham❌
Ash-Sham✅
Al-Shara❌
Ash-Shara✅
who cares?
Well, if it's the correct way to say it, why not get this detail right if yer makin a short documentary bout the person? Assuming that this is correct though. @anonpsude281
i do @anonpsude281
@anonpsude281 Whoever cares!
@anonpsude281 oh oh, I know this one!! kaitospin3944 🤣
Congrats on hitting 1,000,000 subscribers!! 🎉
America, ItsNotReal, Britain, n most of all Ukraine, all need to be added to the SSOT Act list.
State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Merry Christmas to all Christian’s from a Muslim, God bless you all!🙏🏽😊❤️
YEAH lol, Marry christmass!!!
As-salamu alaykum, friend! Thank you! God bless you and your loved ones ❤
We need PEACE .
Salam, God's blessings be with you my dear friend 🙏 🌺
@@thecrackin-u8piraqis and afghanis said the same thing for 20 years, but nobody cared duhhh
"Stone whomever," 🤣 I love the inflection Simon used here.
Great video! I've been following the conflict for years, over a decade actually, and I have to admit that I didn't know nearly this much about Al-Golani, so I appreciate your concise summary. Love the coverage; love the nuance. Please keep it up!
Hoping this guy can pave the way for a peaceful Syria, independent from foreign influence. A Syria for syrians, not Iran, Russia, Turkiye or any other power
And not for isrHELL
“Praiseworthy father of Syria”. That’s a crazy name.
Thanks for that beginning to current description of his path. I want to be hopeful for Syria and its future diplomacy efforts but there's many reasons to be warry instead.
Merry Christmas Syria.
Let’s hope this is the first step towards peace.
I say this cautiously but real sustained peace is possible here... There does come a point where after so much war and suffering; seeing the same trends repeat over and over... that from common person to the nation's leader, there's a collective realisation of the value of peace. Time will tell but there are real signs that this could be different and perhaps reflective of how eras in history (i.e. Middle East at war so often) do not last forever; things do change eventually...
1:25 - Chapter 1 - Young rebel
6:35 - Chapter 2 - Leader of nusra
12:40 - Chapter 3 - Split from the jihadis
16:25 - Chapter 4 - King of idlib
25:10 - Chapter 5 - Rain hell on assad
Merry 🎄 Simon wish you good health
If he can unit syria under one flag and prevent west plans of dividing the country I would believe that he reformed
Fajr Zuhr Asar Maghrib Isha and Witr Salah, Dua Qunoot ♥👌❤
Establish regular Salah and pay ZAKAT...
Nice video to go to bed to on Christmas eve!
Wishing for deep peace upon Syria.
The Taliban claimed to be "cooperative" too. Pfffffttt!
I really sat & watched this video all the way thru while on the toilet. Ddnt even realize it till my roomate started pounding on the door 😂. Great video.
If it's peace, I will be shocked.
8:53 what's the song?
The guy is Brave and honorable something rare in our time. please leave him alone. Leave the syrians decide who governs them.
He went to iraq to resist an illegal invasion, that of the US. It is big positive , something to admire.
He led the offensive against a terrorist regime that tortured and killed millions and succeeded in that.
I think the west should stay the F away from syrian and leave the man lead. He is a true leader and a brave brave man.
We're too busy dealing with Trump rn
If he wants to doge an invasion hold an election and declare a secular government religious extremism is poison no matter the faith
We will no longer allowing Jijadist Governments. Dream On. Were done with this 7th Century Death Cult.
We will no longer allowing Jijadist Governments. Dream On. Were done with this 7th Century Death Cult.
Guy big mad saddam “I mass slaughter civilians for fun” was defeated
Yeah, I'm American and I have to agree.. he seems like a genuine man and I have a good feeling about him. I understand why he went to Iraq to resist the invasion.. and he genuinely does seem to want to allow Syrians of different beliefs to practice what they wish despite his past affiliations. Syrians also should be allowed to choose who leads them after toppling such a monstrous dictator and enduring so much..
I hope Turkey and Israel (and also the US) stop f*cking around in Syria and allow things to settle how they may.
Merry Christmas from your American friends.
He doesn't look like Future, he looks like he will bring back the Middle Age
You look like a coward who talks shit about men who went to war for their freedom.
Well assad made us live in middle ages not this guy😂😂😂 29:58
Middle Ages were pretty good for us. Thanks
So what do we call the new ruler of Syria?
Generalismo?
Lord Protector?
Caesar?
Supreme Ruler of Syria?
What?
CALIPH are EMIR
Merry Christmas factboi and the crew
Merry Christmas!
Julani really purged Al-Qaeda outta his group. The ones survived that purge became the Hurras al-Din. HTS stripped their headline Jihadist theme, and wore the moderate Islamist ideology that was once held by Islamic Front.
Merry Christmas dudes
If historians will ever write a book about the 20s, I'm sure the term "western wishful thinking" will be used
I think the Middle East may also be seeing some relief deep down that the age of US conquests and interventions has truly gone passed its peak... Like a release valve, easing anxiety and thus less likely to turn on one another and more likely to look inward w/ less existential threat; realising that 'we' (they) can create our own world of peace and focus on one another
From river to the sea Palestine 🇵🇸 will be free 🇵🇸. 🇵🇸
Allahu Akbar Allah is the greatest..
This is going to be a very big "wait and see". I honestly don't know what to think of which way Syria will go now. My biases tell me to expect an Ayatollah style ruler, but we'll see.
The term Abu al-Golani in English has a completely different meaning than the term al-Juliani as it is used in the German media
This is such a loaded statement "there is blood on his hands".
How do you participate in a war without killing people?
Or are you saying he should not have fought and let Assad stay in power?
Somebody else wrote this for you to say but please, read it beforehand.
Yeah it felt wrong
He means it as he’s a terrorist. Think buddy.
@@kieronparr3403your responding to a bot, although I may be responding to a bot
How do you know his not the writer?
@@BreadanCotter-vb5xd because he has said before that people do research and write his stuff. He just presents it.
Stole his land, imprisoned him and he's the terrorist?
Only time will tell if this is going to be a net positive for Syria of it's going to devolve into the same thing we're witnessing in Afghanistan. I hope it's a step in the right direction.
Ahmed AI-Sharar's story is fascinating yet controversial. Do you think his leadership will bring stability or lead Syria into further conflict?
Anyone who thinks this guy went from jihadi nut case to a moderate who will liberalise Syria are nuts,even if he has had this transformation the thousands of fighters under him certainly haven’t
You know most of the old factions joined him right?
He'll be more moderate/less repressive than Assad, at least.
Also, it's too soon to tell. What the fighters want won't matter if the people overwhelmingly don't want it - and the people are, generally, completely fucking sick of dictators, Assadist or Islamist.
As Syrian brown skinned proudly uncivilized Muslim I am proudly happy that he will not be Modernist because that means he will submit to the white race and I am proudly Islamist a brown skinned and dark Orc who seek the end of elfs ( the west ) by God I mean it
His most fundamentalist followers left and joined ISIS, leaving him with people that, while Islamist, were notably less radical than ISIS was.
I can’t help but think that the rise and fall of ISIS may have had a profound effect on Golani and the Syrian rebels as a whole.
You sound like a clueless western chauvinist he didn’t join jihadism because he was a nut he joined because his country was being bombed for no reason
It's a very pragmatic move. HTS could just look at Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States and see how rich and prosperous an Islamic nation could be is they just reel in the international Jihadi rhetoric and stay out of the media cycle.
Gulf states rely on oil, repression of any local opposition and alliance with the west. Jihadi rhetoric's popularity among the masses is partly due to these corrupt monarchies in the first place.
@@azwerbukhari579Memangnya kenapa dengan minyak ?
Negara afrika memiliki sumber daya yang sama, tapi jauh lebih miskin.
Selain itu negara-negara teluk telah melakukan diversifikasi ekonomi.
Peace and diversity to Syria 🇸🇾
Good video thancs
Give the man chance and see what he capable of
please more syria content
Good vid!
He should help them build a government then become a top tier diplomat. Bring Syria back into the international fold after stepping away from the violent civil war. Make the international community see what happened under Assad and then make Assad pay. Help to bring Syrians back home to a country that they can feel safe in. Please don’t fuck this up.
The war in Ukraine toppled Assad. It also shows that Russia isn't on the same level as the US. The US military is built to handle two wars simultaneously anywhere in the world. It can do this while fighting ISIS in Syria and other groups worldwide. Russia is in a war with its neighbor and still can project the ability to support and protect its ally on the same continent.
Wrong it's like saying I'm fighting my enemies one is far away another is in front of me who are you fighting
@@jesterbeats2898it is pretty objective that it pulled out most of ru forces to fight in urk
@@jesterbeats2898 it literally caused ru to pull out forces from Syria
@@jesterbeats2898 WTF does that even mean? lol
@@jesterbeats2898what the heck are you talking about?
So early Assad didn't have time to run away.
Is a real life super villian gonna go on an insane redemption arc? 🤔👀
Hey Simon, it's Christmas. Hope you're having a break :)
Good boi Simi..
From now on if anyone brings up Al Baghdadi show the press conference of Trump saying the US killed him. Chef's kiss to Trump on that one.
What’s the meaning of the name?, like what do the words mean ?
Abo means father
Mohamad is a noun
Golani means he is from Golan heights in Syria.
Abo Mohammad ( Father of Mohammad ) is the way nicknames work in Syria.
it just means his older son named Mohammad
“jihadism” is and has always been a modern reaction to the west. it isn’t indigenous to the region. people are shocked at “tolerant” jihadis, but forget that these communities have lived in syria for hundreds if not thousands of years…muslims, christians, druze, shia…under caliphates, sultanates, monarchies, presidents, dictators, etc…they don’t need the west to tell them how to live.
“What have the Romans ever done for us!?”
Is he really the man that overthrew Assad? Or was the man that overthrew Assad, Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Al-Golani is the kid that won a pinewood derby race: He gets to stand at the podium and collect the trophy, when everyone knows that it was his dad that actually built the car.
Nah, what tipped the scale was Greta Thunberg pulling some strings
4:48 One person's terrorism is another person's terrorism.
So this is the man Turkey 🇹🇷 and U.S. government wants to work with 😢
I mean they have no choice the under guy did not want to work with TURKIYE 🇹🇷
Merry Christmas everyone!! Thank you Simon and crew for bringing this important content! ❤ one love
Makes sense a good administrator is a good administrator 20:14
As most issues of international geopolitics; this one is as simple and straightforward as all the others. The citizens everywhere suffer
God bless
This is not gonna play out well for anyone.
Thats DJ Khalid 💀
Merry Christmas tho!
Its gruesome what Assad and his henchmen did. Just looking at the google images of Caesar’s file alone would make any decent persons hairs stand-up. I hope justice is served. We said never again’ before but it keeps happening
His name Golani is pronounced with a J sound. Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani. Jo-lani not Go-lani. Seems like a pretty basic fact you'd know if you watched a three minute aljazeera news clip on him. Not sure how you missed it.
To be fair, golan heights is pronounced with G not J. Given OP is English speaker, makes sense for him to use Golani.
"Golan" heights is pronounced jolan in Arabic. This is the English-friendly version of an Arabic demonym. The words Golan and Golan heights are exonyms. We call it al-Jolan or either Hadhbat-el-Jolan هضبة الجولان with Hadhbat roughly meaning plateau. My family has origins and history there as well.
Well in arabic the letter is a ج which depending on the dialect you use might be pronounced as a J or a G, classic Quranic arabic is a J for example, and Egyptian dialect is a G
@ In the local Arabic dialect, which is technically the only one you should consider in this context, it is pronounced as a J
Looks just like Simon if Simon committed fewer warcrimes and looked different
After seeing this, syria is screwed😅