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SubscribeSomaya Bashir. "We need to wield influence from within, like the Jews did outside Israel when they entered politics. They didn't create their own parties."

Somaya Bashir. “We need to wield influence from within, like the Jews did outside Israel when they entered politics. They didn’t create their own parties.”

She is called a terrorist by Jews and a traitor by Arabs, but Somaya Bashir remains unmoved. A religious Muslim, therapist and activist, she urges Arab citizens toward national service and believes Arab parties are stuck in the past – which is why she plans to run for the Knesset on a Zionist party’s slate

Yana PevznerYana Pevzner

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09:35 AM • May 01 2026 IDT

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Somaya Bashir was 14 when she decided she would play the electric guitar. Her older brother bought a red Gibson at the time, but couldn’t play it.

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