By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Somalia 16 June 2026 – Somalia’s First Deputy Speaker Sadia Yasin Haji Samatar criticised Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro over his visit to Israel and called on Muslim clerics to speak out against his actions.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, Samatar said political disagreements were normal and could be resolved through dialogue, persuasion and mutual respect.
She said, however, that religious matters clearly defined by Islam were not open to negotiation and urged Muslims not to treat Irro’s actions as normal.
“Do not take what Irro has done as something ordinary,” she said.
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Samatar questioned the silence of religious scholars who, she said, had previously condemned actions they considered contrary to Islam.
She called on clerics and religious figures in Puntland, Somaliland, Mogadishu, Kenya and elsewhere to address the issue publicly.
Her remarks followed Irro’s official visit to Israel and Somaliland’s announcement that it had opened an embassy in Jerusalem.
Somalia’s federal government has rejected Israel’s engagement with Somaliland, saying contacts that bypass Mogadishu violate the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.