Somalis: Arab or Not?
By: Evan Ploeckelman / Arab America Contributing Writer
Somali Americans have been gaining particular influence in the United States in recent years. They have a significant population in the Minneapolis and Columbus areas, and there is even a Somali American politician, U.S representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN). But while Somali Americans are grouped together with Arabs by some, such as the Arab American Foundation Institute census which shows them making up 7% of the Arab American population, others, such as the US census, maintain a distinction between the two groups. So, are Somalis Arab or not?
The Case for Somalis as Arab
Somalia has historically had a lot of Arab cultural influence. In Pre-Islamic times, there was extensive trading between the two countries. Due to Somalia’s proximity to Arabia, Islam reached Somalia very early, having a profound affect on the culture, diet, and language of Somalis. Currently, 99.8% of Somalians are muslim. As such, traditional Somali food is entirely halal, with dishes such as Lahoh, Haleeb Shai, Maraq, Asida, Hummus, Malawah, and Ma’amoul all found in traditional Somali cuisine, usually borrowed from or through Yemen.
Furthermore, Arabic is one of two official languages of Somalia, and, through the Islamic heritage of Somalia, has had a major impact on the Somali language as well. Many names, both historical and current, are in Arabic, and there are about 1,500 loanwords in Somali that come from Arabic. Currently, about 2 million Somalis in Somalia, or 13.3% of the population, can speak Arabic to some degree, although this is typical as a second language. Their dialect most resembles the Yemei and Hadhrami varieties.
The Case against Somalis as Arab
However, Somalis are still extremely different from Arabs in many different ways. First, many Somalis are not genetically related to Arabs despite cultural contact (although some do claim that their rer, or clan, is descended from Arabs). In fact, the people of Somalia are closer genetically to the people of nearby Ethiopia and Kenya than Arabs, who live across the Red Sea from Somalia. This has resulted in many aspects of Somali culture that differ from Arabs but are more similar to its neighbors. For example, canjeero bread, made from teff flour and similar to Ethiopian injera, is a staple at all meals. Many other staples come from non-Arab sources, such as India and Italy, a former colonial power in the region, differentiating them from most Arabs.
Linguistically, most Somalis speak the Somali language. While it is in the same large family as Arabic (Afro-Asiatic), it is most similar to neighboring Oromo, the most spoken language in Ethiopia. Furthermore, while Somali does have a lot of loanwords from Arabic, this is not nearly to the extent as other Arabic-influenced languages, and in fact, there is a concerted effort to rid Somali of Arabic influence, which would include most words without Islamic importance.
While this may show that Somalis are a distinct group from Arabs, it is important to note that Somalia is a member of the Arab League, which is composed of Arab-speaking and Arab-identifying nations. Furthermore, other Arab countries, such as Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, and Sudan also have significant populations of people who either are not and do not speak Arabic yet are considered Arab. The same could be true of Somalia.
What do Somalis Think?
All in all, it seems as though most Arab influence in Somalia is through Islam, and not other cultural avenues. But while the similarities and differences are pretty clear, the question of whether Somalis are actually Arab cannot be answered without considering the opinions of Somalis.
Some Somalis living abroad may identify as Arab for a variety of reasons. Many of them may not feel a strong connection to their home country as they may not have grown up there or visited Somalia recently. Particularly, Somalis Americans have many things in common with Arab Americans, such as culture, food, appearance, and religion. This could incentivize them to associate with Arabs. Stigma against Muslims in the US may have also inadvertently associated Somalis with Arabs, which many Somalis may go along with.
On the other hand, Somalis are a rather cohesive ethnicity. In fact, Somalia is arguably the only ethnostate in mainland sub-Saharan Africa, and they are extremely united linguistically. This may spur Somalis to identify more with their own nation compared to Arab ones. Furthermore, with Representative Ilhan Omar’s entry into politics, along with other figures such as model Iman Abdulmajid, Somali Americans have a distinguishing figure that differentiates them from Arabs.
The issue of whether Somalis are Arab is tricky and largely comes down to individual preference. However, the marked similarities between the two groups culturally and the similar perceptions by society at large will definitely bring the two groups closer together moving forward.
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