005 - Equal Opportunities Offender
So much—mostly digital—ink has been spilled regarding Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's current president, one-time rebel leader, and former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (arguably the OG of all the AQ branches). We don't have any new news to add. We do spend a little bit of our spare time trying to map out his family tree. Did you know one of his brothers studied in Russia and was living and working there between 2014 and 2021? For those of you who know your Syrian Civil War timeline, isn't it curious that Moscow didn't apprehend or try to use Maher as leverage over the leader of the very group they were trying to help Assad defeat?
Like many others, we too find Ahmad al-Sharaa to be a fascinating figure. One could argue that his only constant, through his chameleonic shifts and changes, has been his truly fantastic beard.
The photo of Sharaa that we used for the "Charm El-Sheikh" t-shirt is from his victory address at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 8, 2024. The lighting was just right; he glowed. The mosque is a good metaphor for Sharaa himself. It was once a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter, then converted into a Christian cathedral. For a while, during early Umayyad rule, the structure was used for worship by both Christians and Muslims.
The story goes that Umayyad caliph al-Walid, totally jealous of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, tore down the original structure to build a grand mosque in its place. As for the Byzantine-style mosaics found in the courtyard and inside, you may ask? Well, al-Walid—according to some chronicles—threatened to wreak havoc on other churches unless the emperor in Constantinople sent 200 of his best craftsmen. Luckily for us, Justinian II acquiesced. The other interpretation is that Justinian II was keen to remain on good terms with the Umayyads; he also sent Byzantine craftsmen to work on a mosque in Medina.
In short, over the centuries, the scrap of land where the mosque stands has been shaped and molded to fit the gaze of the beholder, and projects back what the beholder wishes to see. Sharaa suffers from the same affliction: To the West, he's a charismatic partner for stability; to his fellow mujahids, he's a victor; to others, he's a pragmatic political operator.
We are not sure how our t-shirt is seen, but we hope that it offends everyone equally. We are aware of how controversial it is to place an Islamist Arab nationalist Sunni leader within an Orthodox Christian icon-esque halo, anointed with a 39 mm bullet, a Kalashnikov and a Toyota Hilux. Speaking of the Toyota Hilux: lately there has been a lot of excited social media posting about this "tipper" model. We have some bad news: This is only available as a custom order. Alternatively, you can modify any Hilux to your heart's content. 
The choice of warm purple t-shirt base was no coincidence either. Tyrian purple is a colour, first made by the Phoenicians, which no longer exists. No one really knows the exact recipe for this ancient dye. We do know that it involves the mucous gland of certain species of sea snails by the metric ton just to make a few grams of the stuff. (PETA would lose its mind). It was so coveted by the Romans that wearing it in the wrong place and wrong time could get you assassinated.
So, don't blame us if shit goes down when you choose to wear this tee.