Syria: BBC interview with HTS leader sparks online backlash

A recent interview by the BBC with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has ignited controversy, with social media users accusing the British broadcaster of prioritising a "superficial" question about alcohol consumption over pressing humanitarian and societal issues facing the country.

Less than two weeks after Syrian rebel groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled President Bashar al-Assad, BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen interviewed HTS leader Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Jolani.

Aired on Thursday, the conversation in the former president’s palace in Damascus explored Sharaa's vision for Syria’s future after more than a decade of civil war.

Important interview: HTS leader Jolani says he has no intention to turn Syria into Afghanistan since these are two different societies with separate culture and history. Strong support for the ethnic and religious diversity.

He supports women’s education and says alcohol is a… pic.twitter.com/dtMqb1W5Me

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 19, 2024

Bowen began by questioning Sharaa’s promise to respect Syria’s diverse sectarian and ethnic groups.

Sharaa asserted: “The Syrian population has lived together for thousands of years,” adding that the revolution could “contain everybody”.

When pressed on whether Syria would resemble Afghanistan under Taliban rule, Sharaa emphasised the cultural and societal differences between the two countries.

Bowen then asked Sharaa whether Syria’s future would include women’s education and tolerance for alcohol. 

Sharaa stated that he believed in women's education, adding that “the percentage of women in universities in Idlib is over 60 percent,” referring to the rebel-held northwestern province run by HTS since 2017.  

Bowen pressed further, asking, “...and alcohol?” to which the rebel leader explained that the matter would be decided by a future constitutional committee through dialogue and legal expertise.

The English-language clip - the beginning of a longer interview published by BBC Arabic - sparked widespread condemnation online, with social media users expressing outrage at the emphasis on alcohol over the immediate humanitarian crises facing Syrian society.

“In a country where 60 years of oppression have just ended, and where mass graves of 150,000 people were discovered just yesterday, this is the third question you choose to ask!” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, referencing recent discoveries of mass grave sites in the country.

One mass grave near Damascus contained a "conservative estimate" of at least 100,000 bodies, according to the Syrian Emergency Task Force.

You flew all the way from the UK to Syria, to ask, "Will alcohol be legal?"

Nothing about the 150,000 Syrians buried in mass graves or the brutal massacres and torture of the Assad regime! https://t.co/RE1LJI0wsF

— زاھىد ئەختەر - Zahid Akhtar (@ZahidDOAM) December 19, 2024

Another stated: “In a country where over 12 million people have been displaced, over half a million people killed, Jeremy Bowen asks in first few minutes of his interview about alcohol. Imagine emerging from a genocide and this is one of the first questions he’s interested in.”

"Great to see the moral compass of institutions like the BBC are in the right spot," said another. "Alcohol first, dead and tortured people second."

Many critics also accused the British broadcaster and, more widely, western media outlets of projecting cultural “obsessions” onto a region still grappling with the aftermath of war.

Jez they’ve been through 13 years of hell on earth mate. You’ve worked in the region for years, you know full well getting pissed on the ale is religiously prohibited, what on earth made you ask such a daft question and deem it a priority for the country? This obsession in the…

— Omar (@Etherulzai) December 19, 2024

“The obsession among Western liberals to see Muslims drink must be studied,” said one commentator, adding that such questions reflect a “myopic” understanding of secularism.

One journalist said the interview was emblematic of a "colonial and orientalist mindset" in the BBC's coverage.

"No questions on transitional justice, the regime’s devastation and destruction, or any issues relevant to those anticipating news about Syria," she continued.

“In an interview conducted by BBC's @BowenBBC, the international editor celebrated for his professionalism, Ahmed Al-Sharaa was asked within the first five minutes about the ‘presence of alcohol’ in the new Syria. No questions on transitional justice, the regime’s devastation and… pic.twitter.com/pWpV08DqVC

— Abdelrahman Ayyash (@3yyash) December 20, 2024

“It’s like asking the Allies in Berlin 1945 whether they want to ban Fanta,” another said sarcastically.

Portraying alcohol as a major issue, people who like to drink can drink and those who don't like won't.
No need to stigmatize on a matter that if prohibited will be enough to label Syria as an extremist islamic country.

— Ralph Nader (@ralphnnader) December 19, 2024

However, a minority of voices defended Bowen, arguing that the alcohol question was a valid "litmus test" for understanding what governance under HTS, which was formerly an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria, might look like.

“It’s an excellent way to tease out decision-making processes,” one user wrote, while another noted: “They aren't asking the question because they care for alcohol in the country, they're asking it because it's an indicator of his extremism or lack thereof.”

The BBC itself faced scrutiny for granting Sharaa a platform, with accusations of attempting to sanitise his image. 

“Classic BBC, turning a wanted terrorist with a $10 million bounty into a misunderstood celebrity. Bravo!” one user wrote.

HTS is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. However, the British government is considering removing the group from its list of designated terrorist organisations following its victory in Syria, Middle East Eye reported last week.