Opinion | What Somalis must do in the face of suspicion and insults

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There is a Somali proverb that came to mind when reflecting on the vitriol that has been coming from the White House recently: The loud hyena warns you, but the quiet hyena harms you. In Somali wisdom, the quiet hyena is more dangerous than the loud one. The loud hyena warns you with its noise so you know it is coming. Someone who tells you the truth, even if it hurts, is like the loud hyena, giving you a warning.

I would argue that President Donald Trump is a loud hyena, though his truth is mixed with untruth. His simplistic stereotyping was uncalled for, and it is not right to call any human being garbage. But it is true that the Somalis involved in large-scale fraud should face the consequences of their poor choices. (Of course, the people who authorized the release of funds to these thieves should also be held accountable for their lack of proper oversight.) And it is true that we Somalis need to ask ourselves what role we may have played in becoming the target of such hostile criticism.

Just like everyone else, Somalis need to take responsibility for their behavior. It’s time to stop blaming others for our wrong choices. Blaming is self-sabotage; it keeps us stuck in our problems and prevents us from taking steps toward solutions. It’s time to get rid of the victim mentality, waiting for others to fix or change things for us.

Second, we need to reframe the insult. Somalis, we are people with potential. It is time to make sure our actions prove this. It is true that we have come from a place where the rules won’t really protect you, so bending the rules feels acceptable or necessary. But that didn’t work in Somalia, and it won’t work here either.

Many Somalis lived through decades of state collapse, with corrupt and violent conditions. We saw how rules were enforced unfairly and were used to harm rather than protect people. This experience with broken systems and injustice created rule skepticism. On top of that, moral obligations to one’s clan often outweighed obligations to obey formal laws. Sometimes clan loyalty helped people survive.

When we face barriers to adjustment such as poverty, social exclusion or discrimination, we must take the high road. Many of us have. Research consistently shows that most immigrants are law-abiding and often commit less crime than native-born citizens. Yet a minority of Somalis who have failed to integrate have chosen to engage in fraud or corruption. They have given us all a bad name.

We need to remember that when we became citizens here, we took an oath of allegiance to the United States. Such allegiance involves fulfilling our civic duties and following the law in our new home. It should never involve stealing from the government, which hurts everyone, especially children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations.