Jamal al-Sharaa is an older brother of

Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...

, the current

President of Syria The president of Syria (), officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army and Syrian ...

Early life and education

Little is known about Jamal al-Sharaa, except that he once worked in the IT education field and moved to Egypt around 2013.

Controversies

Al-Marsoumi's guesthouse

The first public appearance of al-Sharaa was on 17 April 2025, when he appeared alongside Minister of Culture Mohammed Yassin Saleh at the guesthouse of Sheikh Farhan al-Marsoumi in

Deir ez-Zor Governorate Deir ez-Zor Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Dayr az-Zawr,'' Kurdish'':'' ''Parêzgeha Dêrezor'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq. It has an area of 33,060 k ...

. The visit triggered significant controversy due to al-Marsoumi's reputation as a staunch loyalist to Iranian-backed militias and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and serious human rights abuses against the local population. Al-Marsoumi was widely regarded as a central figure linked to Iran’s

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC) in eastern Syria. He played a major role in recruiting youth into the 47th Regiment, an Iranian-backed unit, and in solidifying Tehran’s influence over both the military and social structures in the area. Furthermore, al-Marsoumi has reportedly overseen large-scale arms and narcotics smuggling networks, operating under the protection of the 4th Armoured Division and leveraging close ties with

Maher al-Assad Major General Maher Hafez al-Assad (, born 8 December 1967) is a Syrian former military officer who served as commander of the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armoured Division, which, together with Syria's Military Intelligence, formed the core of t ...

. On 20 April 2025, the Syrian Presidency released a statement addressing the controversy surrounding the gathering at al-Marsoumi’s guesthouse. In response to widespread discussion about the presence of government figures at the event, the presidency clarified that Jamal al-Sharaa does not hold any official government position or title and does not enjoy any formal privileges. Notably, the statement made no mention of Saleh, focusing exclusively on clarifying that Jamal al-Sharaa holds no official government position and attended the event in a personal capacity as a private citizen invited by the organizers.

References

Notes

{{notelist Living people Al-Sharaa family