Although strictly forbidden from a Muslim’s diet, pork can be eaten—conditionally. They can also tell a lie or give a bribe in specific situations. Imam Rasheed Karim, a businessman, political/social activist, is also lamenting that Muslims in T&T are lacking sound leadership and he questions whether in fact they are discriminated against by some segments of the national community.
Q Imam Rasheed, as a Muslim, do you feel in any way left out of the Indian Arrival Day celebrations given the perception in some quarters that this is a Hindu occasion? (At his Felicity, Chaguanas, Masjid Wednesday afternoon)
A I really do not share that view, and we do not celebrate it as we would like to do it simply because we do not have any facilities. The Hindus have their Divali Nagar.
Has the community been asking the powers that be for such facilities?
Yes. We would like to get ten acres of land, and up to last Saturday, some 24 imams from Central Trinidad met Local Government Minister Surujrattan Rambachan, and we spoke to him for about three hours at the St Thomas mosque in Chaguanas, where he told us we had to make the proper application which I think should be done by the current leadership of the Islamic community. We have a lack of proper leadership in the Islamic community.
Why is this so?
Simply because the community is under-represented in the sense we are not resilient...not strong enough as a community to stand up for what is right all the time. We succumb too much to our own vain desires, we allow people and things to override us and we do not always follow the tenets as laid down in the Qur’an.
Exactly what part of the Qur’an you are referring to?
Where it says we have to fight oppression until it is no more; if we feel oppressed we are supposed to challenge it, take it to the ears of the highest authorities.
And surely the Qur’an doesn’t say you have to take up arms to fight off oppression?
No. No. At no point does the Qur’an tell you to take up weapons. What it says first and foremost is that we try to use diplomatic means, and if we use the proper methods of communication we will achieve anything that we want to.
Which of the groups represent the voice of the Islamic community in T&T?
Basically, it is the Anjuman Sunaat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA).
A while ago you were criticising ASJA, of which you are on the national executive, for not providing the kind of dynamic leadership you would like to see?
Basically, it would seem so but the problem stems from the past, about 20 years ago, where representation was almost none, but earlier today, ASJA’s president general (Yacoob Ali) met the Prime Minister at which one of the main points discussed was voting in the Chaguanas by-election which could take place during Ramadan. But Mr Raphael, to go back to one of the questions you asked about why we do not celebrate Indian Arrival Day as the Hindus do...
You want to elaborate on that point?
The Divali Nagar site was supposed to be the headquarters for Indian culture but when you look at it you would realise that it is basically for Hindu culture, right? And there are emblems in the majority of cases representing Hinduism and Muslims will tend to shy away from them. (The imam mentioned other “anti-Islam” activities which allegedly take place during the annual Divali Nagar programme.) These are things Muslims will not condone.
Imam, before we began this interview you told me that the Muslim community feels it is entitled to land from the State. Why?
Simply because we are approximately 175,000 strong in this country, we are taxpayers...Look at the Muslim business people in Trinidad and Tobago, the banking sector, the majority of the larger construction firms are Muslim-owned, so we have a major input into the economic life of our country. We are asking for something that we know MUST be given and not that we feel that it SHOULD be given.
With these kinds of achievements being made by Muslims in T&T why are we having cries of discrimination against the community?
The point is a lot of Muslims are now speaking out—they could be right or they could be wrong—and some Muslim businessmen claim they are being discriminated against by not getting government contracts. In the past they were getting but now they are not.
Imam, do you really think somebody would sit in a government office and decide they are not giving Muslims contracts as a policy decision?
No, I do not think so. I think at present the demand is high for contracts and there are people who know somebody and they are not looking at whose names are on the envelope, they are looking at the people who are making the “play,” right? So if the “play” is coming from other contractors belonging to other religious groups, then that is the way it is going and the Islamic community is forbidden from giving or taking bribes. But to cut it in today’s world, you have to grease the machinery.
If your rights are being threatened, such as you are not being awarded a contract and the bank is threatening to take your equipment, your workers are on the breadline and the only way out is to give a bribe then it is the only way it is permissible, right? Lying is also forbidden but in some cases it is permissible.
Such as?
There are immoral lies such as taking something from somebody, using it for yourself and when they ask you for it you say you did not take it. A permissible lie is like you are fighting a war, you are captured and the enemy hold you, ask for the women, the guns and so on. Also the injunction against eating pork. Pork is haraam (forbidden) but if you are stranded on a desolate island and there is nothing else to eat but a pig, it is then permissible to eat the pig when it comes to a matter of life and death.
Let’s takes a brief look at your political side. You also told me while chatting before the interview that you think Jack Warner will not win the Chaguanas West by-election if he should run as an independent. Why?
I would preface my response by saying I want it to be noted that Mr Warner is a very good worker, he is likeable but at the end of the day it all boils down to party politics. I tried it myself in the last local government election when I ran as an independent in this electoral district and lost even though I did save my deposit. (Laughs)
Why did you think you could have won against the other candidates who went up on a party’s ticket?
People pledged their support for me, they would support me because I was also a hard worker in my district. I had people coming to my home telling me they would support me “100 per cent.” They told me “Imam, don’t worry we supporting you, you go ahead. We doing it, we doing it...” On the day of the election (in 2010), we realised the people were going to vote for the party simply because as an independent candidate, and Mr Warner told me that, an independent candidate cannot do anything for their people.
Mr Warner will get some good votes, but I don’t see him reaching winner’s row. I don’t see it happening for him. If the party selects him he is going to win, but if he is not, he stands a grim chance of winning.