"Sheikh” emerges as powerful unofficial authority in Syria

The title “Sheikh” has become prominent under Syria’s current ruling authorities as one of the most influential figures within government institutions and public service departments, including police stations, municipalities, and the judiciary.

According to reports by ANHA Agency, “the Sheikh” intervenes in issues related to home ownership and renovations. In some areas, actions such as selling, restoring, vacating, or taking possession of property require his direct approval, while in other regions he has the final say.

He is also considered the primary authority for traffic police, with similar influence extending across official institutions, ministries, and the judiciary.

Sources told the Agency that an Arab investor visited the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside seeking to establish a service project. Local residents and community leaders advised him to first consult “the Sheikh.” After hours of discussions and inquiries about the project, the Sheikh reportedly demanded a 30% share of the project without specifying who would receive it.

The investor was reportedly surprised by these practices and returned to his country questioning this new “position” in Syria. Meanwhile, local community leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the role and mocked it in their gatherings.

Administrative development expert Bushra Zidan (a pseudonym) told our agency that the title “Sheikh” has shifted from a religious designation to a functional one, representing an authoritative power inside government institutions based on personal loyalties rather than traditional administrative structures.

She added that one of the newly introduced positions in Syria is the “Head of Justice,” popularly referred to as “the Sheikh,” who exercises broad powers exceeding those of lawyers, public prosecutors, and court presidents, based on administrative decisions outside the framework of the traditional judicial authority law. The position is often associated with members of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.”

She further explained that although four ministries in the interim government had adopted an advanced human resources system using eye-scan attendance monitoring and periodic evaluations, the current authorities undermined the system by appointing unqualified staff based solely on their “revolutionary” affiliation, while relying primarily on “the Sheikh” in administrative decision-making.

Zidan also noted that “the Sheikh,” as a functional role, has replaced the former figures of “the boss” or “the officer” from the previous era. He now represents a moral-religious authority interfering even in employees’ dress codes through what are called workplace conduct guidelines regulating women’s clothing and restricting employees’ use of personal social media accounts unless aligned with official orientations. Many workers were reportedly dismissed because of old photos, comments, or past positions dating back years.

According to sources, Damascus Governorate sought the Sheikh’s approval before endorsing the final report and compensation for affected property owners in the Marota City and Basilia City projects. This move was not hidden from the media, but rather presented as a legitimate and essential governmental step, described as a “certificate of innocence before God.”

ANHA