Right after inviting a Somaliland delegation to Washington, an action which we commended in a previous editorial, the US made another right move by inviting a businesswoman from Somaliland (Ilhan Muhammad Jama) and a businesswoman from Somalia (Nasra Weheliye Ma'allin) to participate in a conference hosted by President Obama and attended by business people from fifty mostly Muslim countries. Like the invitation of the Somaliland delegation, the invitation of the two Somali businesswomen sends the signal that the US administration is making an effort to reach out to Somalis. This move also counters on many levels the constant anti-US propaganda spewed out by religious extremists which portrays the US government and people as rabidly anti Muslim. How does this move counter anti-US propaganda? Here is how. Inviting Muslim entrepreneurs to the US raises doubts about the extremists’ portrayal of the US, for it prompts reasonable Somalis to ask if the US is so anti Muslim why would it bother to invite Muslims to their country? Furthermore, the fact that the latest invitees are women highlights the difference between the respectful and honorable way in which the President of the United States treated the two Somali women and the contempt and oppression to which extremists subject women in the name of religion.
We are not sure if the invitations accidentally turned out to be right on target or if US diplomats are finally becoming more effective in the task of engaging with Somalis. But there is no doubt that US diplomacy has scored two wins in a row. US diplomats now need to build on these successes and widen their scope by engaging Somalis in the fields of education, health, media and sports. The criterion for gaining US support should be that the individual should have a proven track record of working on the ground. This way the US will strengthen the position of those contributing to stability and progress and at the same time enhance the US reputation among Somalis. Having virtually lost south and central Somalia to the extremists, Somaliland is the logical place to try this approach.


























 

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