While some members of Israel's Bedouin community may face an internal conflict between their identity as Israeli citizens and their ethnic identity as Muslim Arabs, one school in a Bedouin settlement in southern Israel proudly displays the Israeli flag.
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Ibrahim al-Sayed, principal of the Amal al-Sayed Multidisciplinary School in al-Qasum Regional Council, sees no conflict between the two identities.
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Students hang Israeli flags throughout al-Sayed
(Photo: Amal al-Sayed Multidisciplinary School)
"We all live for this country, we must integrate and not get stuck in the past. I refuse to feel ashamed for displaying the Israeli flag on my watch," he said.
Al-Sayed is a small tribal community of about 6,000 people nestled between Arad and Be'er Sheva in southern Israel's Negev desert.
Ibrahim worked with his students to hang Israeli flags throughout their village in honor of Israel's upcoming 75th anniversary.
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Israeli flags displayed throughout al-Sayed
(Photo: Amal al-Sayed Multidisciplinary School)
Although the initiative faced objections from some locals, he chose to pursue it nevertheless because he firmly believes in the significance of education and the integration of the Bedouin community into the broader Israeli society.
Ibrahim explains that his parents instilled in him the importance of belonging to his country, teaching him to protect its flag and sovereignty from a young age.
Al-Sayed stresses the importance of promoting education, volunteerism, and active participation in Israeli society.
He upholds the tradition that his father passed down to him by hanging the national flag at the entryway to the settlement every year, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding their unique country.