Of all of Khadar’s miscalculations, his biggest was taking on Mohamed Hashi, the former minister of finance and a famously honest man who founded Somaliland’s movement to separate from Somalia. Mohamed and his wife, Amran Ali, have been deeply involved in the school from the start, having been introduced to it by Khadar, a close relative of Mohamed’s. Their daughter Suleikha is a stellar member of our charter class.
Amran and Mohamed have become major supporters of Abaarso and are particularly pleased that because of the school, Suleikha can now receive a proper high school education without going abroad. When Khadar had first ordered us to leave the country, Amran had been a leader among the parents making sure the school survived through it. Perhaps because of his close relations with Khadar, Mohamed had then stayed behind the scenes.
But after Khadar’s media attacks, Mohamed spoke to the Abaarso villagers in support of the school. It was then that Gollis published the lie about Mohamed pulling Suleikha out of Abaarso. When Mohamed went on TV and to a newspaper with the truth, that he supported the school and his daughter remained an Abaarso student, Khadar’s credibility took a tremendous hit for all to see.
Because Mohamed is a close relative of Khadar’s, almost everyone who considers Khadar to be a relative considers Mohamed to be one, too. Khadar has foolishly made the Abaarso fight one in which it is Khadar versus Mohamed, which means none of their mutual clansmen has any reason to support Khadar anymore. Indeed, many now shun him.
Mohamed Hashi and Amran are by no means alone. The rest of the parents now rise to defend their children against Khadar’s attacks. This is especially true of parents who see their daughters’ honor under fire. They reach out to a religious council and bring the council members to the school. Religious councils are unofficial groups of religious figures whose purpose is to provide scholarly guidance. The particular group that came to Abaarso is the most respected in Hargeisa. One afternoon in January 2013, about a dozen religious scholars arrive in several cars, all of them dressed in traditional religious attire. The leader, Sheikh Mohamed, has been educated internationally and speaks English well.
Abaarso’s entire student body gathers in the auditorium for the meeting with the council. The religious scholars sit up front, with the students sitting attentively in the audience. The discourse lasts for hours, during which time the council asks many questions and the students answer, explaining the truth, telling how much their teachers care for them, and all the while showing their maturity and education.
Most of the back-and-forth is in Somali. But I join in for a bit, as does Jake Galloway, an English teacher and the dean of the boys. Jake and I discuss some issues in English, which represent a bit of our point of view. When the meeting is over, Sheikh Mohamed states that the council has been extremely impressed by the high level of education at Abaarso. In addition, he notes the strong principles the school lives by. “Abaarso has better Islamic values than most of the Somali-run schools,” one of the scholars declares. In fact, Sheikh Mohamed says he is interested in enrolling his daughter.
A few days later, the religious council holds a meeting at a hotel in Hargeisa to discuss their results. Parents are present, but I choose to stay behind the scenes, no longer willing to play into Khadar’s story that the Abaarso conflict is really a battle between the Somali and the foreigner. The only way he can go against this group is to position himself as opposed to the parents and the religious community.
Which is not to say that I am passive. Knowing the high likelihood of a positive statement, I make sure that every major Somaliland TV station is present for the council’s report. Even Radio Hargeisa attends. By the time the council finishes, much of the Somali world hears that the religious council has investigated Abaarso and has given it the thumbs-up.
While the media attacks don’t stop, their target needs to be greatly narrowed as the school and the students are now off-limits. No longer can anyone claim that the environment isn’t proper or that the students have been corrupted. I, however, am still fair game.