Transcription
Hey guys, now that Syria has fallen, all eyes turned towards the rebel leader of the force that took over Syria. CNN did an interview with him recently, and I wanted to showcase it here. Check it out.
In the past, you have talked about strict Islamic rule. Is that still the plan?
Yeah, no. People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly. We are talking about something that aligns with the traditions and nature of the region. The most important thing is to build institutions. We are not talking about rule by individuals or personal whims; it's about institutional governance. Syria deserves a governing system that is institutional, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions.
Many, like anybody, believe him. This guy is like, "Yeah, we're going to have the institution of execution, the institution of flogging, and the different institutions to punish those that go against Sharia law." Nobody, you know, nobody that is honest about the situation thinks that this is going to be a better, kinder ruler than Bashar al-Assad. He's obviously not a moderate; he is an Al-Qaeda terrorist, and that's what it is.
Now, the reason why Israel is perhaps, you know, in a better situation right now is because he's not really legitimate in the eyes of the world, and therefore a target against him is almost always a legitimate strike. Syrians are happy and will be happy to see the end of the Assad regime, but they're also worried about what HTS rules would mean, including for minorities. No one has the right to erase another group. These sects have coexisted in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right to eliminate them. There must be a legal framework that protects and ensures the rights of all, not a system that serves only one sect, as Assad's regime has done.
You know, listening to you speak, you've gone through quite the transformation. Once an Al-Qaeda leader, your group has had affiliations with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and now you are projecting this image of a moderate leader and a moderate group. What is HTS right now?
HTS is one of the factions in the region, just like all the others. Now we're talking about a larger project. We're talking about building Syria; it is merely one detail of this dialogue, and it may dissolve at any time. It's not an end in itself but a means to perform a task: confronting this regime. Once that task is complete, it will transition to a state of governance, institutions, and so on.
I believe that everyone in life goes through phases and experiences, and these experiences naturally increase a person's awareness. A person in their 20s will have a different personality than someone in their 30s or 40s, and certainly someone in their 50s. So, in my 20s, I was a terrorist. Then I decided terrorism is bad because beheading people isn't so civil. So then I joined another terrorist group, but then they weren't for me, so now I'm on my own, and, you know, I like being the leader of a new terrorist group. We were very, you know, we were very successful.
It's like that; that's not a real thing. People don't, you know, have phases where they're terrorists. No, that's in their, that's them. You don't go through a phase, "Oh, you know, once I beheaded people, now I don't like." No, this guy is most definitely not a moderate, and anyone trying to trick you into thinking that he is probably doesn't have good intentions or a good agenda behind them.
Sometimes it's essential to adjust to reality because someone who rigidly clings to certain ideas and principles without flexibility cannot effectively lead societies or navigate complex conflicts like the one happening in Syria. People listening to this are going to wonder why they should believe you. You are still a specially designated global terrorist by the United States, with a $10 million bounty on your head. Your group is a prescribed terrorist organization by the United States, by the UN, by the EU, and others.
I say to people, don't judge by words but by actions. I believe the reality speaks for itself. These classifications are primarily political and, at the same time, wrong. I define a terrorist as someone who intentionally kills civilians, harms innocents, or displaces people. If we're being honest, many of the wars waged by major powers in Arab, Muslim, and even non-Muslim countries have involved the deliberate killing of thousands, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of millions. Even the regime itself is guilty of such actions.
But the US and others would say that you were part of groups that did exactly that. Personally, I have not done these things. The situation must be understood in its historical context. There was a massive war in Iraq that deeply stirred people's emotions, prompting many to go there. The circumstances of that war led people to various places, and my path led me to one of those locations. Given my level of awareness and my young age at the time, my actions evolved to where I am today. I didn't go to Iraq with those intentions; I went to defend the Iraqi people. When I returned to Syria, I didn't want to bring what happened in Iraq into Syria. That's why there were disagreements between us and ISIS.
People would be wondering why you've agreed to speak with us. What is happening in Syria is significant for the entire world. This event has positive repercussions globally. Under the regime's rule, Syria became a source of concern and trouble for everyone. Stabilizing Syria will bring many people back. Today, in the liberated areas, about one-third of the population lives in camps—approximately 1.2 million people. I believe we can soon reach a point where there are no camps with the rehabilitation of the liberated areas. People will return to their homes. Many refugees in Turkey will likely return, as will a significant number in Lebanon and Jordan. Even refugees in Europe may return to rebuild their country.
So, if there's one thing you have to understand about terrorists, it's that they don't think that they're bad. In their heads, they're the good guys. They're the ones that are going to save the world by bringing Sharia law globally. They're going to save the heretics. Those heretics are us. They think that they're saving us from our heretical selves by introducing Islam. But what they don't understand is that we don't want to be saved. We don't want to be saved because we're the good guys. And how do I know that we're the good guys? Because we don't rape women or behead babies.
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