by Yoginder Sikand

Much has been written about conflicts involving religious communities across the world by journalists, academics and security ‘experts’. Although these conflicts have local roots, and owe to a host of causes, some locally-specific, others regional and even global, a common factor that links all of them are supremacist notions of the religious ‘self’ and, associated with these, negative images of the religious ‘other’ that are deeply-rooted in dominant understandings of religion. Efforts to resolve these conflicts must, some time or the other, necessarily address head-on the notion of the ‘other’ in religious thought, to critique understandings that brand all non-believers as ‘enemies’ and dismiss their faiths as of no worth at all. This critique needs to go hand-in-hand with efforts to promote more positive understandings of the religious ‘other’ and of other faith traditions and belief systems. In short, while most conflicts involving people of different religious communities are rooted in political and economic factors, they cannot be reduced entirely to them. The crucial role that negative, exclusivist, intolerant and supremacist understandings of religion and the religious ‘other’ play in creating and in fanning these conflicts cannot be denied.

That, in short, was what I learnt at a conference in Singapore that I recently participated in. Organised by the official Islamic Council of Singapore, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapore (MUIS), the conference brought together several dozen academics and activists, Muslims as well as others, from across the world to deliberate on the vexed issue of Islam, Muslims and multiculturalism in our globalised world.

“We need to shepherd our own flock and to say that, theologically, these things are unacceptable,” said Imam Suhaib Webb, the educational director for the Muslim American Society, a grass-roots group in Santa Clara, Calif., who is among the nine in the video. “The Prophet Muhammad, when on the battlefield, saw that amongst the enemy there were innocent women and children killed, and he was openly angry. He is prohibiting us from killing the innocent. It is very clear.”  Taking responsibility for our own actions is a refreshing and productive approach to dealing with the plethora of issues the Muslim world currently faces. 

The video’s opening five minutes mimic the style of the Jihadist propaganda videos, with dramatic music in the background and words reading, “Believers Beware: Injustice Cannot Defeat Injustice.” The ultimate goal of this video can be summarized by this simple message. As Edina Lekovic, the director of policy and programming for the Muslim Public Affairs Council said, “The point was to show that no matter where you stand on the religious spectrum, we all have a shared belief and shared outrage by the events that are taking place.”

Ultimately, we can hope that the efforts of individuals to encourage open discussion and expression will help to counteract injustices. 

August 2nd 2010: Russell Defreitas, 67, a former airline cargo worker, was accused of hatching plans in 2006 for the attack to avenge what he saw as US oppression against Muslims. He was found guilty on all counts.  His co-defendant, former Guyanese parliament member Abdul Kadir, 58 was found guilty on five of six counts.

The six-week jury trial heard that Defreitas and Kadir had begun preparations to explode fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under JFK International Airport.

"The defendants believed their attack would cause extensive damage to the airport and to the New York economy, as well as the loss of numerous lives," the prosecutor's office said.

Defreitas, a naturalized US citizen who immigrated to the United States from Guyana, was described as the originator of the plot and recruiter, while Kadir had engineering skills and contacts with militant groups in Iran and Venezuela.

A third man, Abdel Nur, pleaded guilty before the trial to supporting the plot. He faces up to 15 years in prison.   A fourth suspect has still to be brought to trial.

Friday 27 July 1990:

• Jamaat al Muslimeen gunmen invaded parliament and took as hostages the then Prime Minister A.N.R. Robinson, Cabinet Ministers, other Members of Parliament, officials and visitors.
• An explosion occurred at Police Headquarters on St. Vincent street when a Jamaat - al - Muslimeen operative drove a car bomb into the building. A police officer was killed.
• Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, leader of the Jamaat - al - Muslimeen led another group in capturing the television House on Maraval Road. The staff of Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT)and other persons were taken as hostages.
• Radio Trinidad was also captured.
• The Imam appeared on television and after 6:00 pm to announce the overthrow of the government. He promised that elections would be held in thirty days.
• Looting and destruction of property occurred even as the Regiment attempted to contain the situation at the Red House.
• Environment and National Security Minister Lincoln Myers and Education Minister Senator Clive Pantin appeared on television from Camp Ogden to re-assure the nation that the government had not fallen.
• Colonel Ralph Brown re-assured the nation that the Defence Force did not collaborate with “the perpetrators of this act.”

Saturday 28th July 1990:

• Acting President Emmanuel Carter appeared on television and declared a state of emergency. A dusk to dawn curfew of 12 hours was imposed in most areas, One of twenty two hours was imposed downtown around the Red House and environs, areas mostly badly affected by looting and fires.
• Closure of Piarco Airport until further notice.
• Planning and Mobilisation Minister Winston Dookeran was released earlier in the morning to start negotiations. Canon Knolly Clarke accompanied him    and acted as mediator between the government at Camp Ogden and security forces and the Muslimeen.
• MP Leo des Vignes was injured during the course of the assault and was allowed to leave for the hospital.
• Meeting of Cabinet Ministers at Camp Ogden.

Sunday 29th July 2010:

• Ministers who had not been captured appear on television.
• Imam Yasim Abu Bakr had sent messages to Camp Ogden to stop jamming the television transmission. He threatened to place explosives on the hostages.
• Hostages at radio Trinidad released and broadcasting resumes from the temporary location at Camp Ogden.
• The curfew was extended to eighteen hours everywhere (6 p.m. to 12 noon), 24 hours around the Red House, and 22 hours (3 p.m. to 1 p.m.) around TTT.
• Negotiations were taking place and there were urgent appeals for Jones P. Madeira to communicate with either Radio 610 or the Red House.

Monday 30th July 1990:

• Unconfirmed report that TTT was on fire, but government broadcasts state that only the annex was gutted.
• Reports of an agreement between the hostages in the Red House and the Muslimeen. The terms included an amnesty for all Muslimeen members involved in the insurrection; the resignation of the Prime Minister; the installation of Winston Dookeran as interim Prime Minister; and the holding of elections within 90 days.
• The Prime Minister spoke to members of the local and overseas media to ask for the implementation of the agreement and the release of the hostages.
• Cabinet Ministers Dr. Brinsley Samaroo (Food Production) and Dr. Bhoe Tewarie (Industry, Enterprise and Tourism) returned from overseas and joined their colleagues at Camp Ogden.

Tuesday 31st July 1990:

• The Prime Minister was released from the Red House.

Wednesday 1st August 1990:

• Reports had arisen of unconditional surrender by Abu Bakr and his men.
• The 1st hostages emerged from Trinidad and Tobago television at 1:00 pm.
• Youth, Sport, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Jennifer Johnson was the first hostage to be released from the Red House.
• Bakr himself emerged at 2 p.m. He laid down his gun and watched his men leave the building. The Defence Force drove the hostage takers away to Defence Force headquarters at Chaguaramas.
• M.P. Leo des Vignes died in hospital.

Trinidad July 26th 2010: THE Egyptian Ambassador to Trinidad, Venezuela and Grenada, Ali Saleh Mourad visited San Fernando last week where he met with members of the Muslim community.  Mourad discussed ways of strengthening ties with mainstream Islamic organisations in the country.

Imran Khan, of the San Fernando ASJA Jama Masjid, said Mourad intends to make available six scholars from Egypt to lecture and conduct nightly pray sessions at various mosques in the country during the month of Ramadan, leading to the celebration of Eid. Ramadan is a period of fasting for the Muslim community throughout the world and is expected to begin on August 12 with the sighting of the new moon.

Mourad, who is based in Caracas, arrived in the country last week which saw him meeting with several ministers in the People’s Partnership Government including Community Development Minister Nizam Baksh. Imran Khan said Mourad brought greetings from his country and discussed ways of making available to the Muslim community Islamic scholars from the famous Egyptian university — Al Azhar — for the month of Ramadan.

“I wish to thank the Members of the House of Representatives in our Parliament for selecting us to be members of the Commission and I also wish to thank His Excellency, the Acting President for selecting me to be the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.

We know that there are serious challenges that are facing us in our country as a whole and we also realize that the Police Service Commission is a very important component in the overall structure in our country that is tackling the pressing problems of the crime situation and although we are regarded as a part-time institution, we feel that we have to give a lot of our time, at least in the initial stages to ensure that one, we assist in the public regaining confidence in the Police Service and also, amongst the members of the Police Service, rebuilding the morale that is required and the kind of coming together that is required in the Police Service in order for the members of the Police Service to become more effective in their duties.

So we look forward to… I know it is going to be a lot of hard work but we feel certain that we are going to give it our best shot and whatever we do will meet with the approval of the public.”

A Social Science Research Council funded project at Florida International University’s Latin American & Caribbean Center is working to educate English speaking scholars and reporters about the Muslim populations in the region.

Beyond The Middle East

Logrono says English-speaking media often ignore the Muslim populations in Central and South America until something bad happens.

“I guess we can say journalists have approached Islam in Latin America,” Logrono says, “But I think they have approached it only when there’s conflict and tension.”

Logrono says there is certainly tension in some parts of Latin America, especially where Islam chafes against Catholicism, but that’s not true of every country in the region or every Muslim group, either.

“The Muslim populations that you have in Latin America are, and this is especially the case of South America, mainly migrants and converts,” Logrono says. “When it comes to integration … what we have noticed is that Muslim migrants have integrated very well.”

Read or listen to Rosemary Pennington's report here.  Listen to Logrono's UCLA seminar presentation here.  Click Read More below for Latin American and Caribbean Center website.