Trinis in ISIS, a concern for US

The story, “Trying to staunch Trinidad’s flow of young recruits to ISIS” was written by Frances Robles. “President Trump spoke by telephone over the weekend with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago about terrorism and other security challenges including foreign fighters,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, said as was reported in the article.

“American officials worry about having a breeding ground for extremists so close to the United States, fearing that Trinidadian fighters could return from the Middle East and attack American diplomatic and oil installations in Trinidad, or even take a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Miami.” The story quoted Juan S Gonzalez, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, who said most Islamic State fighters from Latin America are from Trinidad and Tobago.

“As the United States continues to corner ISIS and defeat them, a lot of these guys aren’t going to feel they have safe quarters,” Gonzalez said. “Is the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, prepared for these guys to return back to their countries? This is a real vulnerability.” The story said that while the US with a population of 240 million, has provided ISIS with 250 recruits, tiny TT with a population of 1.4 million has supplied 130, according to former US ambassador, John Estrada -- the highest per capita nation in the Western Hemisphere.

“Trinidadians do very well with ISIL,” Estrada said. “They are high up in the ranks, they are very respected and they are English- speaking. ISIL have used them for propaganda to spread their message through the Caribbean.” Saying much information on the identities of those going abroad comes from US intelligence plus local imams, one was quoted as saying, “I know whole families that went”.

The story referred to the Anti Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2017 laid in Parliament last week that seeks to criminalise the act of travelling for the purposes of committing a terrorist act, saying at present it is not illegal to join ISIS but this position is under review. The article said some TT nationals who join ISIS then feature heavily in the group’s online presence which then lends them to become targets of the US intelligence and military including being killed in drone strikes, including Shawn Parson, 27, from Enterprise, Chaguanas.

The story cited complaints by certain local Muslim spokesmen who claim to be unfairly treated in the whole affair. Islamic Missionary Guild head, Imtiaz Mohammed, said his US visa and pilot’s licence were revoked, hampering his group’s charitable works overseas. Jamaat al Muslimeen leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, claimed widespread anti-Muslim discrimination in TT.

Muslim leader Umar Abdullah, said he has denounced extremism as it could create a fallout that would put TT’s Muslim community in harm’s way. The article quoted Rio Claro Imam Nazim Mohammed, as denying that he trains recruits for ISIS and said he runs a school and a food aid programme.

“Killing and murdering is not Islamic. Our goal is to help people.

You know how many people have come here for help,” Mohammed said, as reported in the NY Times article.