Mohamoud Walaaleye
In a powerful classroom moment that has ignited online debates, a Form Four student from a Somaliland school delivered a no-holds-barred response to critics attacking girls interested in learning the Hebrew language and Israeli culture. Her words cut through the noise of regional politics, exposing the selective outrage and manipulative narratives peddled by Arab nations and their state-aligned media.
“Today we are going to talk about a conversation between the world,” the student began. “There are girls who say that they want to learn the Israeli language or their culture. Okay? I am not against those girls. In fact, I encourage them — and I encourage all girls, big and small, to learn the Israeli language.”
She directly confronted the backlash flooding comment sections — accusations of betrayal for engaging with Israel while “brothers” suffer.
Her reply was unflinching:
“I saw people commenting on this video and saying, ‘How did you learn the Israeli language? How did you do this? This is wrong. Didn’t you see how your brothers were destroyed?’ I tell you, you don’t know anything. Where were you when Somali fighter jets were destroying our homes, killing our fathers and mothers? Where have you been?”
The core of her message challenges the emotional blackmail that dominates Arab discourse. Somaliland has long struggled for international recognition amid instability in greater Somalia. When any nation — Israel included — extends a hand through diplomatic engagement or recognition, pragmatic voices like this student see opportunity, not treason.
“After Israel having recognized us as a country, are you coming to condemn us? Oh no. We are not going to allow you to do this. If you want to help a country or benefit a country, then help your brothers in Palestine, Yemen, and others. Okay? It doesn’t matter who recognizes us as a country. Whether it is Israel or any other country, the important thing is that they recognize us as a country.”
This is a devastating takedown of Arab nations’ track record. For decades, many Arab states and their media outlets have amplified a singular narrative: unwavering solidarity with Palestine above all else, often at the expense of other Muslim or Arab-adjacent peoples facing genuine crises.
Somalilanders remember their own suffering — devastated homes, lost families, and shattered childhoods during conflicts involving Somali forces. Yet Arab media rarely spotlighted Somaliland’s plight with the same fervour reserved for Gaza or the West Bank. Yemen’s civil war, Sudan’s atrocities, and Kurdish struggles receive similarly inconsistent coverage when they don’t fit the anti-Israel script.
The student refuses to let historical pain dictate future pragmatism: “They are still hurting us — not just in the past, but as it happened today. We will not forget, and we will never be able to forget how our fathers, our children, and our elders died; how they destroyed our homes and our childhoods. We will not forget this.”
Her point lands like a hammer: Collective memory should not become collective paralysis. Learning a language or culture is not an endorsement of every policy. Economic, technological, and diplomatic engagement with Israel has benefited many nations — from Turkey and Egypt to the UAE and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords — delivering trade, security cooperation, and innovation without erasing Palestinian concerns.
Arab media’s blanket condemnation ignores these successes, painting engagement as betrayal while offering no concrete alternatives for unrecognized territories like Somaliland.
This episode reveals deeper rot in Arab information ecosystems. State broadcasters and influencers weaponize religious and ethnic solidarity to police thought, discouraging independent engagement with Israel even when it serves local interests. Somaliland, a predominantly Muslim society, faces realpolitik: survival and statehood matter more than performative loyalty to distant causes. The student’s defense of curious girls seeking knowledge embodies intellectual freedom over dogmatic rejection.
Arab nations have a long history of promising brotherhood while delivering little more than rhetoric. From funding proxies that destabilize the Horn of Africa to flooding airwaves with one-sided coverage, their approach has often hindered rather than helped regional development. Somaliland’s youth are signalling a shift — prioritizing education, recognition, and progress over imported grievances.
This Form Four student’s raw honesty deserves amplification. It debunks the myth of monolithic “Muslim unity” enforced by Arab media gatekeepers. True solidarity begins with respecting a people’s right to chart their own path, learn from any willing partner, and secure recognition on their own terms — not Cairo’s or Riyadh’s. Somaliland is watching who actually shows up, not just who shouts the loudest.