Eurasia Press & News
Following the deadly clashes that broke out in July 2025 in Syria’s Al-Suwayda governorate between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes, which resulted in the death of over 1,000 Druze, Egyptian journalists and writers published articles claiming that the Al-Sharaa regime, which supported the Bedouin tribes during the clashes, is a terrorist ISIS-like regime that only pretends to be moderate and egalitarian. The slogans uttered by Syrian President Al-Sharaa about democracy and freedom, they said, are aimed at gaining temporary Western support for his regime – a regime which in practice is no different from extremist Islamist organizations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda that seek to establish an Islamic caliphate and do not hesitate to use terrorism to achieve this. The writers harshly condemned the massacres carried out by Al-Sharaa’s supporters against Syria’s Alawite and Druze minorities, and warned that these actions endanger Syria’s unity and the stability of the region as a whole.
It should be noted that Egypt has been facing a dilemma regarding its relations with the Al-Sharaa regime since its advent in late 2024, especially due to Egypt’s fear that Al-Sharaa’s successful coup against the Assad regime would inspire the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement and other forces to attempt a similar coup in Egypt.[1]
Cartoon in Egyptian daily shows pictures of “Ahmad Al-Sharaa now” and “Ahmad Al-Sharaa in the past,” and asks: “Dear reader, can you spot the differences?!” (Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Egypt, December 16, 2024)
The following are translated excerpts from these Egyptian articles.
Egyptian Journalist: Al-Sharaa Is Deceiving The World With His Ostensible Moderateness; He Is No Different From ISIS
In an August 25, 2025 article in the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm, journalist and author Osama Ghareeb wrote that Al-Sharaa is deceiving the world into seeing him as moderate, while his ideology and goals are identical to those of the extremist jihadist organizations. He likened Al-Sharaa to the Taliban, which he said is showing some flexibility and openness to the West in order to consolidate its rule in Afghanistan, but which will eventually implement its real goals once circumstances are ripe:
“The Taliban is showing flexibility to the international community… It refrained from taking revenge on civil servants and soldiers that served Afghanistan’s [former] government… Many years’ experience led the Taliban to realize that the world would not accept them in their ISIS-like version, so they took a few steps back, in a tactical move. Based on the experience of fellow [jihadist] organizations like ISIS and the MB, they [realized] that the Islamic shari’a state could wait and be built by stages.”
According to Ghareeb, Al-Sharaa is doing the same: adopting a moderate outward stance while waiting for the opportunity to establish an Islamic caliphate-state. He warned: “What was once in the heart remains in the heart… All the [jihadist] organizations that wish to establish an Islamic state want to emulate ISIS more than anyone else, but [only] when they can do so without bringing negative consequences [upon themselves].” He concluded by noting that Al-Sharaa “shows greater moderateness than the Taliban and is able to postpone his barbaric dreams and deceive the world that he has changed and become moderate.” But the problem is with his supporters, the Islamist foreign fighters “who pressure him and will not accept anything less than a massacre against people they disagree with, for that was their condition for agreeing to accept him as their leader in the first place…”[2]
Editor Of Egyptian Daily: Al-Sharaa’s Regime Is “The World’s Terrorist Crack Team”
Dandrawi Al-Hawary, editor of the Egyptian daily Al-Yawm Al-Sabi’, attacked Al-Sharaa’s regime, calling it the “world’s terrorist crack team” that has brought together terrorists from all over the world to massacre Syria’s minorities. He wrote: “…When the world’s terrorist crack team reached the People’s Palace in Damascus, there were celebrations and parties into the night over this historic event, which was seen as a blatant victory. As a result, Syria became a magnet for terrorists and extremists from all the world’s countries… who began [to implement] the corrupt ideology that focuses on purging Syria of the various religious minorities, accusing them of heresy and [arguing] that they must be killed…”
After taking over Syria, Al-Hawary said, Al-Sharaa’s organization, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), “persecuted clerics, artists and emblems of Syrian society, and then carried out shameful massacres against the Alawites in the coastal cities” and against the Druze in Al-Suwayda. Thus, “Syria is experiencing a bona fide massacre, bereft of any moral, human or even national standards, alongside insane chaos, amid the complete absence of the state and its institutions. This is a heavy tax peoples must pay when fall for the mirage of false slogans and promises regarding a paradise of freedom and democracy…” As a result, he said, “Syria has entered a dark tunnel and the wounds of despicable sectarianism have opened…”, and it will be difficult if not impossible to overcome this, given that Al-Sharaa is apparently “not coming out against his followers and preventing them from carrying out these systematic [acts of] massacre, arson and destruction!”
Al-Hawari concluded by saying that these deadly events have exposed the true face of the Al-Sharaa regime. “Today bitter tears have replaced the dancing, singling and celebrations [that followed the fall of the Assad regime]. The mask of Syria’s [new] leaders has fallen, and their real face has been revealed. The trick of changing the short cloak [worn by Al-Sharaa when he was known as Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, leader of HTS] for a suit and tie does not fool anyone, for it is deeds that are convincing, not talk!”[3]
Former Egyptian MP: The Deadly Clashes Exposed The ISIS-Like Character of The Syrian Regime
In an article in the daily Al-Shurouq, intellectual and former MP Amr Hamzawy explained why Egypt disapproves of Al-Sharaa’s regime, unlike other countries that are more open towards it. “Egypt had reservations about the ideological background and political inclinations of the new rulers in Damascus, for they belong to streams that accuse others of heresy. [Moreover,] they are violent and extremist figures previously associated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, who, before coming to power, were involved in crimes and in systematic human rights violations…”
Al-Hamzawy voiced skepticism about Al-Sharaa’s new image: “Cairo is not deceived by the new media discourse of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, previously known as Al-Joulani, which focuses on the values of citizenship, coexistence and tolerance.” This is because the massacres carried out by Al-Sharaa’s supporters against the Alawites on the Syrian coast and the Druze in Al-Suwayda “demonstrated what can be described as the ‘ISIS-like character’ of HTS, which permits violence and killing on a sectarian basis,” and gave rise to “growing doubts about HTS’s desire and ability to overcome its ISIS-like character… and become capable of ruling a country with a very diverse national and social fabric.”
Accordingly, Al-Hamzawy said, Egypt “translated its reservations… into a policy that boils down to ‘minimizing relations’ with the new leaders in Damascus,” who are not committed to “the values of citizenship, coexistence and social accord, which affect the chances of stability in Syria and the Arab East and therefore [also] Egypt’s national security…”[4] [2] Almasryalyoum.com, August 25, 2025.
[3] Youm7.com, July 20, 2025. [4] Al-Shurouq (Egypt), July 26, 2025.
