Leaving terror behind opens door to legitimacy

When Ahmad Shar’a took the podium at the United Nations General Assembly in September, few could have imagined his journey.

Once a militant under al-Qaeda’s banner, he now stood in a dark suit and tie, addressing world leaders as Syria’s interim president – the first to represent his country at the UN in six decades.

Shar’a’s dramatic shift from extremist to statesman underscores a powerful truth: legitimacy can not be achieved through violence.

Nine years ago, Shar’a was a key figure for al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria.

However, in 2016, he broke away and later helped form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of opposition factions.

By late 2024, this group successfully toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which had long been propped up by the Iranian regime.

Shar’a decision to reject terrorism opened the door to public trust and international recognition.

Today, he travels as a head of state, not a fugitive, working to restore stability and dignity to a country once synonymous with repression and chaos.

Shar’a’s rise demonstrates that only those who abandon terrorism and dedicate themselves to their people can earn respect at home and abroad.

His transformation stands as a lesson for others still trapped in the cycle of violence: legitimacy begins where extremism ends.

Abandoning terrorism

Across the world, extremist movements have repeatedly proven incapable of establishing legitimate governance.

Their legacies are marked by violence, chaos, and suffering -- not statehood or respect.

"Terrorist movements that have inflicted suffering and pain on nations can never achieve legitimate rule, and individuals tied to such groups will never be accepted as leaders," said Ali Ahmad Irfan, an international relations analyst in Herat.

"The path of terrorist groups is illegitimate, dark, and inhumane, he said. "Anyone who follows it is seen as cursed and evil. No one, anywhere in the world, remembers a terrorist with honor."

Shar’a’s story is proof that legitimacy begins only after rejecting extremism, Irfan said.

"Leaving terrorism is like being reborn and starting a new life," he said.

"By parting ways with al-Qaeda, Ahmad Shar’a is now a national leader respected worldwide," he added.

Nazeer Ahmad Karimi, another political analyst in Herat, echoed that sentiment.

"Leaders and members of groups like al-Qaeda are doomed to die -- many have been killed in US airstrikes in recent years," he said.

"If Ahmad Shar’a had not broken away, he likely would have been among them," he added.

Karimi said that wherever al-Qaeda operates, progress is replaced with destruction and instability.

"This terrorist network will never gain legitimacy anywhere, and following its path leads only to ruin," he said.