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INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT OF SPAIN 000448 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR AND INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON SCUL PHUM PTER TD
SUBJECT: THE ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The extradition this year to the U.S. of three 
Muslims (one a citizen of T&T and the other two from Guyana) to face 
trial for an alleged plot against JFK Airport has heightened 
interest in the state of Islam in Trinidad and Tobago.  Variously 
estimated at 6-10 percent of the population, those professing the 
Islamic faith are generally peaceful, productive and integrated into 
the society.  Nonetheless, there are fundamentalists and some 
problematic ties to Middle Eastern and South Asian Islamic schools. 
Though we do not anticipate any major terrorist activity emanating 
from here, the existence of a relatively large Muslim population, 
sprinkled with a few radicals, also means that surprises and 
isolated future cases (like the JFK plot) can occur.  End Summary. 
 
 
A Numerical Minority 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Muslims in Trinidad number between 6-10 percent of the 
population (roughly 75,000-130,000 persons), enjoying full religious 
freedom to practice their faith, with the government declaring days 
such as Eid holidays. There are about 70 mosques in the country, 
some grander than others, but generally circumspect.  These are 
found in all sorts of communities, including a mosque and Islamic 
Academy near the Embassy and across the street from an upscale 
shopping center.  Following prayers, as an indication of the 
generally peaceful and integrated nature of congregations, some 
members of that mosque and their families can be found eating ice 
cream at the local Haagen-Dazs parlor in the shopping area. 
 
A Lengthy History 
----------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) Islam was first introduced to T&T in the eighteenth century 
with the importation of African slaves who brought with them their 
religious beliefs. A second, more lasting, wave of Muslims came to 
the island with the arrival of workers from India beginning in 1845, 
who were brought to Trinidad once the British Empire outlawed the 
slave trade.  While the majority of these workers were Hindu, some 
Muslims were also among them. 
 
¶4.  (U) The Indian Muslims brought with them a Sunni version of 
their faith known as Hanafi, which is generally seen as liberal and 
tolerant. Shi'ites also were represented but in much smaller 
numbers.  Due perhaps to little interaction with mainstream Islamic 
thought during nineteenth and early twentieth century, Indian 
Muslims in Trinidad generally focused on the social aspects of their 
religion.  They also continued the festivals and customs of their 
Indian heritage, such as the annual Hosay procession. Indian Muslims 
generally met with little interference from British authorities due 
to their relatively small numbers and peaceful nature.  One 
exception was the 1884 Hosay Massacre, when nervous colonial troops 
fired on a large Indian procession, killing dozens and wounding 
hundreds. 
 
Changing Times 
-------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Despite continued growth of mosques and Islamic 
organizations throughout Trinidad, the homogeneity of Islamic 
thought here only began to change in the 1960s and 1970s with the 
arrival of missionaries from more fundamentalist sects.  In 
particular, two groups, the Tablighs and the Wahabists, sought to 
reshape Islamic thought and practice on the island. The Tablighs, 
with foundations in India, and the Wahabists, funded in large part 
by Saudi Arabia, both espouse a more conservative and fundamentalist 
form of Islam than was the historic norm in Trinidad. 
 
¶6.  (U) Tabligh missionaries began arriving in Trinidad during the 
1970s from India and Pakistan, bringing conservative cultural 
traditions, such as the wearing of hijab for women, which had 
previously been almost non-existent here.  The Whhabist 
missionaries, who began appearing in the 1980's, continued this 
trend.  While the occasional hijab is now visible, the Islamic 
mainstream in Trinidad has largely remained largely in line with its 
historic roots.  Much more common for Muslim women is a headscarf or 
no covering. 
 
Black Power Movement 
-------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Understanding Islam in T&T also requires a look back at 
the "Black Power" movement of the 1960s and 1970's.  Due to the 
relatively large migration of T&T citizens to North America, and the 
tenor of the times, some Afro-Trinidadians in the U.S. and Canada 
were attracted to Black Muslim organizations.  Perhaps the most 
famous local offshoot of the Black Power movement is the Jamaat al 
Muslimeen (JAM), led by Yasin Abu Bakr, formerly known as Lennox 
Phillips. 
 
PORT OF SP 00000448  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Abu Bakr, a former police officer, led an unsuccessful 
coup in 1990.  While the influence of JAM and Abu Bakr diminished 
after this attack, he remains a figure of some foreboding in 
society.  Though "enjoying" the reputation of a radical with 
terrorist leanings (working off the popular conception of Abu Bakr, 
the JFK plotters hoped to gain funding from the JAM -- the 
organization supposedly wanted nothing to do with the alleged 
terrorists), and using this to help gain publicity and resources, 
the JAM now is alleged to be essentially a criminal gang, not a 
terrorist group and also involved on the fringes of local politics. 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Another group deserving of attention that has some local 
members is the Muslims of America (MOA). Members of the MOA include 
deportees from Canada and the U.S., Tyrone Cole and Wali Muhammad. 
These two Trinidadians were involved in planning a bombing in 
Toronto in 1994 and deported back to Trinidad in 2006. 
 
Community Structure 
------------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) There are over 30 Muslim organizations in T&T, representing 
religious views of Trinidadian Muslims from the most conservative to 
those with a more secular bent.  The Islamic Coordinating Council of 
Trinidad and Tobago serves as the organizing body of all local 
Muslim groups and is made up of four main organizations: the Anjuman 
Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA), the Trinidad Muslim League 
(TML), the United Islamic Organization (UIO) and the Trinidad 
Islamic Association (TIA).  There are also many local Islamic 
organizations throughout the island focused on social interactions. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The most influential of the larger bodies is the ASJA, 
which claims to represent over 80% of all Trinidad Muslims. 
Currently led by Imam Yacoob Ali, it promotes a moderate and 
inclusive form of Islam and seeks to educate Islamic youth in their 
heritage and traditions.  The ASJA sees it educational thrust as 
important to help blunt more fundamentalist Islamic interpretations. 
 An additional ASJA concern is the conversion of Afro-Trinidadians 
within the prison system to more radical views; the ASJA seeks to 
counter this by sending moderate clerics to prisons to teach the 
Koran.  This effort, however, is hampered by the widespread 
impression that the ASJA is more focused on Indo-Trinidadian Muslim 
concerns than those of its Afro-Trinidad fellow congregants. 
 
¶12. (SBU) The other three main Islamic organizations are popularly 
seen as somewhat less moderate.  ASJA leaders estimate that as many 
as 5,000 persons belong to these groups.  The most vocal of them is 
the Trinidad Muslim League. The TML has petitioned the government in 
the past to become the official voice of Islam on the island 
although in actuality it represents only a small minority of 
Muslims.  It is important to note, however, that all of the 
organizations under the Islamic Coordinating Council have denounced 
fringe groups like the JAM for alleged criminal activities and have 
promoted peaceful dialogue in resolving issues with others in 
society. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Another small but noticeable Muslim group is the 
Ahmadiyyas. These Muslims are considered heretical by many other 
sects and are persecuted in many parts of the world.  In Trinidad, 
while they are not considered part of the mainstream, they are 
generally tolerated by their fellow Muslims.  The Ahmadiyyas 
frequently seek travel to the United States for religious study and 
international conferences. 
 
Islamic Schools 
--------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Islamic schooling is becoming more prevalent in Trinidad, 
due to the government funding of all religious schools.  Catholic, 
Hindu, and Muslim schools all receive two-thirds of their funding 
from the government, which in turn requires a standardized 
curriculum.  Most notable of these schools is the ASJA Boy's College 
in San Fernando, which has an enrollment of approximately 650.  Some 
non-Muslim parents enroll their children in these schools due to 
their reputation for discipline and high learning standards. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Though the majority of Islamic schools are simply that -- 
schools that also teach Islam -- there are some radical and 
fundamentalist academies.  Notable in this regard is the Darul 
Uloom.  It was founded in 1984 by Indo-Trinidadians who had been 
educated in religious schools in India and Pakistan and is part of 
the United Islamist Organization (UIO).  The school claims an 
enrollment f approximately 200 girls and 200 boys, with strict 
separation, generally not the norm among Muslims in Trinidad. While 
the school maintains standard education in addition to religious 
training, its extremely conservative approach to Islamist thought 
has caused concern among many in the moderate Islamic community. 
 
Trinidad as a hub of Islam in the Caribbean 
 
PORT OF SP 00000448  003 OF 003 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (U) Given its relative wealth and religious tolerance, Trinidad 
is considered by many as the nexus of Islam in the Caribbean. While 
Suriname and Guyana have greater Muslim populations, their relative 
isolation and lack of transportation infrastructure inhibit meetings 
or conferences.  Trinidad, by contrast, offers many inter-island 
flights and reasonable conference facilities.  As a result, it hosts 
many international Muslim conferences, which gives even greater 
prominence to moderate factions such as the ASJA.  Conversely, this 
ease of travel has the potential to facilitate future extremist 
activities, such as the JFK Airport plot, both in Trinidad and the 
United States. 
 
Comment: Some concerns, but not many 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶17.  (SBU) Some Muslims with radical views live in T&T and a few 
schools are outside the mainstream.  In addition, some students go 
abroad to study in madrasses in the Middle East, South Asia, and 
occasionally South Africa.  There also are known contacts among 
local Muslim radicals and others with similar views in the 
Caribbean, and missionaries do visit here from outside the region. 
That said, given the general nature of the Muslim community and its 
integration into society, the likelihood of a large radical movement 
gaining steam here -- as opposed to a radical few potentially 
arising -- is very small. 
 
AUSTIN