Why is there controversy over the photo of a coup leader in Syria with a woman?

There is a lot of controversy over the picture of Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of the rebel group that overthrew the nearly 23-year rule of Bashar al-Assad government in Syria. In this picture, Julani is seen with a woman, whom he is asking to put a hoodie on her head.

Actually, in Mejja city of Syria, a woman wanted to take a picture with HTS leader Julani, during which Julani requested the woman to cover her hair. According to the information, this picture was taken on December 10, but the video of this entire incident is now becoming increasingly viral.

Liberals and fundamentalists are criticizing.

The photo has been criticized by both liberals and hardliners. Liberals see the request from the leader of Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a sign that Julani may try to impose an Islamic system in Syria after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, while hardline conservatives have criticized him for posing for a photo with the woman.

The HTS leader gave clarification regarding the photo

On the questions raised about this photo, Julani said in an interview with BBC's Jeremy Bowen, 'I did not force that woman to cover her head, but it is my personal freedom that I want my photos to be taken in a way that suits me.'

At the same time, the woman seen in the picture, Lia Khairallah, has also said that she was not bothered by the HTS leader's request to cover her head. Lia said that he had asked in a polite and fatherly manner. The woman said, 'I thought a leader has the right to be presented in the way he deems appropriate.'

Why the controversy over the photo with the woman?

Sunni Muslims are the majority population in Syria, apart from them people of Alawite, Christian, Druze, and Ismaili sects also live there. In their first statement after overthrowing the Assad government, HTS rebels had said that they would not impose any religious dress code on women. Apart from this, they had also promised to guarantee personal freedom for people of all communities in Syria.

At the same time, there are ideological differences among the political and military groups opposing the Assad government. Some people want a secular democracy, while others believe that Syria should be governed according to Islamic law.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, initially imposed strict rules in the region, including dress codes, when it took over Idlib in 2017. However, HTS has repealed those laws in recent years amid public criticism.