Dema Taya. Photo: Screenshot.

“Israel is not an apartheid state and anyone who believes this should be ashamed of himself,” a Muslim citizen of the Jewish state declared in a recent media interview — a video of which has gone viral online this week.

Appearing on an Arabic-language news channel, Dema Taya — a resident of the central Israeli city of Qalansawe — told the program host, “You live in this country and enjoy the full benefits of its citizenship. You are free to work, study, express yourselves and whatever you desire. You lead and educate the next generations in a state that respects you. Look at Syria, Iraq, Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries. What have they done for the good of their people?”

Taya is currently in the US as part of a delegation conducting a speaking tour organized by Reservists on Duty to tell the stories of Israel’s minority communities.

“I’m proud to stand up and speak for Israel and that I’m an integrated part of it,” Taya said in the interview.

Watch a video of Taya’s interview below: