Kamla: Religious, faith-based organisations at heart of TT democracy

UNC political leader Kamla Persad Bissessar.
UNC political leader Kamla Persad Bissessar.

UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has described religious and faith-based organisations as being the cornerstone of TT’s democracy.

At Eid ul Fitr celebrations at the Perry Young mosque, Indian Walk, Princes Town on Wednesday, she said there were places in the world where people were being persecuted for practicing their religious beliefs.

“I know for us in TT, Eid ul Fitr speaks to the truth about communities of faith, including you all from your communities that you enrich our national life, you strengthen our democracy, and you uphold our freedoms and rights including our right to religious practice.

“It is for these reasons that we stand for protecting and advancing universal human rights. This is something we must never ever take for granted as there are many citizens of the world who do not enjoy this very basic privilege that we have here in our country.”

She said the Muslim community, with their Islamic traditions form “part of our multicultural tapestry in our twin-island republic and contribute greatly to our identity.”

She recalled that a young woman was taken to task for wearing a hijab, saying those views were not representative of TT.

“I thought this went against the grain of what we aspire to be as a people. This move, in my respectful view, did not represent the good that is TT and what we are about.

“These attributes of our country are what I hold closest to my heart, and during my time as PM I held the right to religious practice very close to me. I understood the importance of our faith-based communities and the very role that they play in our cosmopolitan society.”

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