Once a Terrorist = Always A Terrorist

Former ISIS Victims Warn West Against Trusting Syria’s New Leader Ahmed al-Sharaa- Two former Ezidi women, Fatima and Nada, who were enslaved by ISIS, have issued a powerful warning to Western leaders about Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa—formerly known by his jihadi name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

In a gripping video interview documented by British filmmaker Alan Duncan and reported by The Sun, both women recount the harrowing experiences they endured as captives under ISIS control. They describe seeing al-Sharaa in 2015 during meetings with ISIS commanders, affirming their certainty about his identity. Nada, who was owned by an ISIS emir, recalled how al-Sharaa visited to pray and held private meetings with militant leaders, receiving respect akin to that given to ISIS’s former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Fatima, who lost over 60 family members in the genocide carried out by ISIS, and Nada, who was forced into slavery along with many other Ezidi women and children, both emphasise the danger they believe al-Sharaa continues to represent. Despite his current positioning as a moderate and reformer, the women fear that his past and ongoing influence could herald further violence and atrocities against the Ezidi people and others.

“They want to change their faces, but they are still the same inside,” Fatima said, referring to former jihadis now presenting themselves as moderate figures. Nada described how children like her son were indoctrinated and trained for violence, including being prepared as suicide bombers.

Their testimonies highlight the brutal realities faced by the Ezidi people under ISIS, with thousands killed and enslaved in one of the most horrific genocides of recent times. The women’s fears are compounded by recent political developments: Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy met al-Sharaa, pledging nearly £100 million in aid to Syria, and the United States has reportedly removed his current group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, from its terrorist organization list.

Fatima and Nada’s voices are a stark reminder to Western policymakers to carefully consider the histories and human stories behind figures like al-Sharaa before embracing them on the international stage. After all; once a terrorist, always a terrorist.

Feature image: CC Hisham Haji Badal. Follow Hisham on Instagram: hisham_art_74.