Yasin Abu Bakr
Encyclopedia
Yasin Abu Bakr, born Lennox Philip is the leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen
a Muslim
group in Trinidad and Tobago
. The group has long-standing links with Libya
n leader Muammar al-Gaddafi
. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah, the group staged an attempted coup d’état
in 1990.
Abu Bakr, a former policeman, converted to Islam while a student in Canada
. He later returned to Trinidad
and founded the Jamaat al Muslimeen (commonly referred to simply as the Jamaat).
On December 4, 2006, he was found not-guilty for conspiring to murder two expelled Jamaat al Muslimeen members, Salim Rasheed and Adel Ghany. Deadbwoy, a friend of Rasheed and Ghany, killed them both. Justice Mustapha Ibrahim ruled that the evidence of the prosecution was “very weak, and so manifestly unreliable, and so discredited as a result of cross-examination, that no reasonable tribunal—none whatever—could safely convict on it.” The jurors soon returned a not-guilty verdict. On December 5, 2006, key witness, Brent “Small Brent” Danglade, was charged with perjury. He had refused to testify on the witness stand and had become a hostile witness.
In his Eid ul-Fitr
message delivered on November 3, 2005 Abu Bakr threatened “war” against Muslims who did not pay zakaat next year. The statement was generally interpreted as a demand that the tax be paid to the Jamaat al Muslimeen. On November 8 Abu Bakr was arrested and charged with three counts of inciting extortion and one for sedition. The Jamaat al Muslimeen headquarters were occupied by the Army on November 10 and Abu Bakr’s office was demolished in a search for weapons and ammunition after metal detectors discovered objects below the building. A high-powered rifle, a hand grenade, walkie talkies and 700 rounds of ammunition were seized.
Jamaat al Muslimeen is widely believed by many to be involved in criminal activities such as kidnapping and the drug trade. Another controversial aspect of Abu Bakr has been his views on Indo-Trinidadians. On radio interviews Bakr has justified violent crime against Indo-Trinidadians because “Indians own all the land and business.” His speeches are controversial and considered racist by many, including Afro-Trinidadians. Despite his controversial history, Abu Bakr has proven to be a survivor in Trinidadian politics.
As of March 2007, three members of Abu Bakr’s organization (Jamaat al Muslimeen) have confessed of their role in the kidnapping, rape, murder and dismemberment of local businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman.
Jamaat al Muslimeen
The Jamaat al Muslimeen is a Muslim organisation within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago with a membership of predominantly Afro-Trinidadians....
a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
group in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. The group has long-standing links with Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n leader Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah, the group staged an attempted coup d’état
Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt
On Friday 27 July 1990, 114 members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, an Afro-Trinidadian Islamic organisation, led by Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of Trinidad and Tobago. Forty-two insurgents stormed the Red House and took the Prime...
in 1990.
Abu Bakr, a former policeman, converted to Islam while a student in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He later returned to Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
and founded the Jamaat al Muslimeen (commonly referred to simply as the Jamaat).
On December 4, 2006, he was found not-guilty for conspiring to murder two expelled Jamaat al Muslimeen members, Salim Rasheed and Adel Ghany. Deadbwoy, a friend of Rasheed and Ghany, killed them both. Justice Mustapha Ibrahim ruled that the evidence of the prosecution was “very weak, and so manifestly unreliable, and so discredited as a result of cross-examination, that no reasonable tribunal—none whatever—could safely convict on it.” The jurors soon returned a not-guilty verdict. On December 5, 2006, key witness, Brent “Small Brent” Danglade, was charged with perjury. He had refused to testify on the witness stand and had become a hostile witness.
In his Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
message delivered on November 3, 2005 Abu Bakr threatened “war” against Muslims who did not pay zakaat next year. The statement was generally interpreted as a demand that the tax be paid to the Jamaat al Muslimeen. On November 8 Abu Bakr was arrested and charged with three counts of inciting extortion and one for sedition. The Jamaat al Muslimeen headquarters were occupied by the Army on November 10 and Abu Bakr’s office was demolished in a search for weapons and ammunition after metal detectors discovered objects below the building. A high-powered rifle, a hand grenade, walkie talkies and 700 rounds of ammunition were seized.
Jamaat al Muslimeen is widely believed by many to be involved in criminal activities such as kidnapping and the drug trade. Another controversial aspect of Abu Bakr has been his views on Indo-Trinidadians. On radio interviews Bakr has justified violent crime against Indo-Trinidadians because “Indians own all the land and business.” His speeches are controversial and considered racist by many, including Afro-Trinidadians. Despite his controversial history, Abu Bakr has proven to be a survivor in Trinidadian politics.
As of March 2007, three members of Abu Bakr’s organization (Jamaat al Muslimeen) have confessed of their role in the kidnapping, rape, murder and dismemberment of local businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman.
External links
- Trinidad’s Troubling Islamist Yasin Abu BakrJamestown Foundation
- Army takes over Jamaat—Hayden Mills Trinidad Express
- No bail for Bakr—Hayden Mills Trinidad Express
- —“Judge frees Bakr,” Trinidad GuardianTrinidad GuardianThe T&T Guardian is the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1917, the Guardian is published by the Trinidad Publishing Company. The newspaper was published as a broadsheet since inception but changed to tabloid format, known as the "G-sized Guardian", in November 2002...
- Angela Potter, "Trinidad Muslims Being Closely Monitored," Associate Press, November 1, 2001.
- Robin Walker, "Profile: Jamaat al Muslimeen," BBC News, June 3, 2007.
- Jamaat al-Muslimeen: The Growth and Decline of Islamist Militancy in TrinidadJamestown Foundation
- Spotlight on Trinidad and Tobago's Jamaat al-MuslimeenJamestown Foundation
- Jamaat al-Muslimeen on Trial in Trinidad and TobagoJamestown Foundation
- Al-Qaeda's Inroads into the CaribbeanJamestown Foundation