Dear Editor,
The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) wishes to reply to some comments made by Mayor Hamilton Green in a letter titled `Neither the govt nor the PPP was represented at the slave trade commemoration’ (SN, Wednesday, 15th October, 2008).
The IAC is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 2003 to deal with the issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin and focuses on cultural, educational and social endeavours. Religion falls within these foci as persons of Indo-Guyanese origin may be adherents of Bahaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism or Sanatan Dharm, Islam or any other faith.
The IAC views Indian culture as a subset of universal culture which includes religion and recognizes that an important factor in building national unity is tolerance and respect for all religions in Guyana. It is in this context that the IAC has engaged the Hindu (Bath Phagwah Mela) and Muslim (Lusignan Eid Fest) communities in 2008. Later this year the IAC will be engaging the wider Christian community in a Christmas function.
With regard to the recent Eid Fest 2008 at Lusignan and in recognition of the universal reach and diversity of Islam, the first item of the programme was a Quranic recitation by Brother Lukman, an Islamic scholar of Afro-Guyanese origin. In addition, IAC executive member Shazad Ali, in his welcoming message stated that the first Muslims to arrive in Guyana were Black Africans, who were enslaved by Europeans in the 17th century.
The IAC recognizes the fact that millions of Black Africans perished during the slave trade and were oppressed during slavery, the abolition of which resulted in Indians coming here.
During the planning of the IAC Eid Fest 2008, the organization consulted with all the important Muslim organizations of Guyana in an effort to shape the programme and to deal with sensitivities in light of this being the first major collaboration of the IAC with the wider Muslim community.
Following the decision to proceed with the Eid Fest, the IAC sent a press release to all media houses including the state media inviting them to provide coverage for the event.
The IAC cannot determine which media house will respond.
IAC events are open to all Guyanese in order to foster the spirit of national unity. The IAC feels that Mayor Green’s use of the term `Fullamen’ which has evolved into a term used to portray Muslims in a negative light, does not augur well for the fostering of this spirit of national unity which is being propagated by the IAC.
Yours faithfully,
P.Ramgobin
Secretary-IAC
