(Trinidad Express) Opposition Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West Ganga Singh say Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley should apologise to the Muslim community over his comments regarding the the Masjid-ul-Muttaqeen Mosque in Cunupia.
“Dr Rowley seems to be impervious to the sensitivities of the issues confronting the Muslim population in Trinidad and Tobago where a brush of terror was recently used to tarnish the integrity and reputation of an entire community which has been peaceful, law-abiding, hard-working and generous citizens who have helped to build this nation and continue to contribute to the growth and development of the national economy, said Ganga who issued a statement yesterday.
At a political meeting in Barataria on Thursday, the Prime Minister said: “Today, one of the very mosques we had to raid at Carnival time, on credible information that the security services had, we have found within that place of worship lethal weapons, arms and ammunition.”
Singh said that Dr Rowley has perniciously used this sensitive religious issue on a political platform to justify his own questionable actions and low popularity in the country.
“Without credible and reliable evidence that can stand up in a court of law, he is casting doubts in the minds of citizens which will only serve to damage and/or destroy the social cohesion and fabric of the society. “What the nation must also know is that the weapons in question were not found in a raid, they were found during routine maintenance and it was the Mosque officials themselves who called in the police; they were not hiding anything,: said Singh.
“In fact, in a statement issued by the mosque, they were very clear that they were the ones to call in the Chaguanas Police. They also requested the police officers to conduct a thorough search of the entire compound to ensure that no other guns, ammunition or other illegal items were secretly on the premises. Nothing was found.”
Singh added: “I know these people and can personally vouch for their integrity, their community spirit and their generosity in working with the under-privileged. I interact with them on a daily basis and know the good people they are, and the good work they do.”
Singh said that now that the FBI has been called in to ascertain the origins of these weapons “one cannot help but ask how did these weapons enter the country in the first place. Is a stage being set to create a so-called terrorist network in Trinidad and Tobago and blame the Muslim Community?”.
