غيّرها الشعب: طريق هيئة تحرير الشام إلى السلطة في سوريا

How ​​did a jihadist group transform into a movement to rebuild Syria after Assad? In December 2024, in a global surprise, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, led a coalition to overthrow the Syrian regime. This riveting narrative reveals the dramatic transformation that Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham has undergone since 2019, from a besieged rebel stronghold to a conservative Islamist government. Drawing on interviews with leaders of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, including Ahmed al-Sharaa himself, as well as diplomats and opposition figures, the authors reveal the group's pragmatic evolution during its rule of Idlib province, under global and local restrictions. They reveal how the body dealt with religious minorities, redefined its understanding of Sharia, and adopted a conservative, non-extremist society. The restructuring of the group’s identity was not limited only to northwestern Syria, but extended to the international arena, where it allied itself with Turkey, a NATO member and the secular republic, confronted both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and marginalized extremists in its ranks, in favor of a popular Islam based on mosques. This book offers a glimpse into Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's incredible journey, blending frontline accounts with meticulous analysis to decipher the group's success in overcoming the regime and charting its own path to power.