
Laila Alrefaai
Laila Alrefaai is a commissioning and copy editor at Alpheratz Magazine, a sister publication of New Lines in Arabic. She specializes in religious affairs. Her work has been published by Alpheratz, the Carnegie Middle East Center, Al Jazeera and the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, among others. She is currently completing her PhD in sociology at the Doha Institute.
Latest from Laila Alrefaai

The Multiple Identities of Syria’s New Leader
To some, Syria’s new transitional president is a cunning mastermind whose jihadist roots threaten to plunge the region into a new cycle of extremism and violence. But Ahmad al-Sharaa’s family legacy and the evolution of his rhetoric, ideas and actions hint at a deeper story.

The Death of Syria’s Mystery Woman
Unknown to the world, the Qubaysiyat boast tens of thousands of disciples within Syria, in franchises across the Middle East and as far afield as Europe and the Americas. At their center was the towering figure of al-Qubaysi, a woman as influential as she was mysterious.