ASJA President: No mosque would tolerate guns

ANJUMAN Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA) President Yacoob Ali said the recent find of guns at a mosque in Munroe Road was unfortunate and this type of behaviour would not be condoned by any mosque.

He was speaking with the media after a joint media conference by religious leaders on amending the Marriage Act to enshrine marriage as being between a biological male and biological female and held at Archbishop’s House, Port of Spain.

At a PNM meeting in Barataria on Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Government was condemned as being anti-Muslim when mosques were raided around Carnival, but pointed out that guns and ammunition were found at the Masjid-ul-Muttaqeen mosque in Cunupia, which was raided earlier this year.

The Opposition has criticised Rowley, saying he insulted Muslims, and Government was impinging upon fundamental rights and freedoms.

Asked about the Opposition criticisms yesterday, Ali responded, “Well, if it is a fact that guns were found there, it is a wrong thing to happen. So we can’t condone that.

“But if someone who is a member there who may have connections outside – and this is what we understand – some members outside of the mosque may ask a member of the mosque to hide (guns) in there because nobody would think to go there to check it. We enquired into it. It’s just something by the way. But the ASJA does not condone it.”

On Rowley’s comments, Ali said, “Dr Rowley will make a political statement to satisfy what he has to do in his position.

I am saying we are not aware of any mosque which would tolerate that in the normal course. We don’t have any mosques that would do that.”

Asked what could be done to prevent these incidents, he said, “It was not rampant and it is not happening every weekend. Not like that. It is an issue that has come up and human beings will behave in the manner that their partners are doing. If they ask them to ‘keep this,’ a criminal element may do that.”

On security measures for mosques, Ali said ASJA has never put them at any mosques. “Because we have the Almighty to protect us all.”

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"ASJA President: No mosque would tolerate guns"

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