Trinidad and Tobago: Information on the Jamaat al muslimeen (JAM), including political and criminal activities, and violence perpetrated by members; state response (2010-February 2016)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 14 March 2016 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | TTO105454.E |
| Related Document(s) | Trinité-et-Tobago : information sur le Jamaat al muslimeen (JAM), y compris sur ses activités politiques et criminelles, et la violence commise par ses membres; la réaction de l'État (2010-février 2016) |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Trinidad and Tobago: Information on the Jamaat al muslimeen (JAM), including political and criminal activities, and violence perpetrated by members; state response (2010-February 2016), 14 March 2016, TTO105454.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57dfa2364.html [accessed 26 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa
1. Overview
Information on the JAM was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the Jamestown Foundation, JAM is a "shell of its former self" (Jamestown 5 July 2010). Sources state that JAM has splintered (Oliveira and Aviles June 2012, 26) or fractured (VICE News 30 May 2014), and has become more of a criminal organization in recent years (ibid.; Jamestown Foundation 30 July 2009; Oliveira and Aviles June 2012, 20). According to a 2009 report by the Jamestown Foundation, JAM has been involved in the following activities: "Gangland-style" killings, narcotics and arms trafficking, money laundering, extortion and kidnapping (30 July 2009). Further and corroborating information, including recent activities of JAM, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For information on the history of JAM, including the 1990 coup attempt, see Response to Information Request TTO33947.
1.1 Political Involvement
According to sources, JAM has been involved in "political thuggery" (The Daily Beast 15 Oct. 2014) or "political corruption" (Jamestown Foundation 30 July 2009). According to sources, Yasin Abu Bakr formed the National Vision Party (NVP) in 1994 (Oliveira and Aviles June 2012, 17; PHW 2015, 1476) and contested the 2010 elections as the New National Vision (NNV) party (ibid.). The NNV is often referred to as the "political arm" of the JAM (Oliveira and Aviles June 2012, 17). According to the Political Handbook of the World (PHW), the NNV received 0.27 percent of the vote in Trinidad and Tobago's 2010 elections (2015, 1476). The US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2010 for Trinidad and Tobago similarly states that in the 2010 election, the NNV "garnered few votes and no seats" (US 8 Apr. 2011, 9). According to sources, the NNV is led by Fuad Abu Bakr (Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday 11 July 2015; Caribbean News Service 11 June 2015), son of Yasin Abu Bakr (Daily Express 4 May 2010).
According to a 2010 report by the Jamestown Foundation, "JAM remains an active force in Trinidadian society and politics under Abu Bakr's leadership" (Jamestown Foundation 5 July 2010). A Master's thesis for the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, on the threat and capabilities of JAM, indicates that the organisation has a "weak political affiliation" and has been "unable to grow numerically" as well as "failed to expand its influence" (Oliveira and Aviles June 2012, 37). In an interview with Bakr, VICE News, an international news organisation that highlights "underreported stories from around the globe" (VICE News n.d.), reports that his "power has waned" and he is "content to…sit back," predicting that Trinidad and Tobago's government will naturally fall into anarchy due to high levels of crime and corruption (VICE News 30 May 2014). A 2015 article in The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper similarly notes that Bakr has "tried his utmost to stay out of the limelight of politics for so long" (21 July 2015).
2. State Response
Information on state responses to JAM was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Sources state that the leader of JAM was arrested on 21 July 2015 as part of an investigation into the May 2014 murder of Senator Dana Seetahal (Caribbean News Now 21 July 2015; The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper 21 July 2015). According to The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper, eight other JAM members were also arrested (ibid.). On 22 July 2015, The Daily Express, a Port of Spain-based newspaper, reported that Yasin Abu Bakr and Imam Hassan Ali were released from custody (22 July 2015). The same source indicates that they were among a total of eleven people that had been arrested the day before and questioned regarding the murder of Dana Seetahal (ibid.). Further information on the results of the investigation could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
Further information on state responses to JAM could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For information on government efforts to fight crime, including organized crime, state protection and effectiveness in Trinidad and Tobago, see Response to Information Request TTO104750.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Caribbean News Now. 21 July 2015. "Leader of Attempted Coup in Trinidad Detained by Police in High-profile Murder Investigation." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
Caribbean News Service. 11 June 2015. "Abu-Bakr's NNV to Contest All 41 Seats in Upcoming Election." [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
The Daily Beast. 15 October 2014. Michael Daly. "ISIS Has a Bigger Coalition Than We Do." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
The Daily Express. 22 July 2015. Susan Mohammed. "Abu Bakr Released." [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
_____. 4 May 2010. "12 Candidates for New National Vision." [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
The Jamestown Foundation. 5 July 2010. "Trinidad's Troubling Islamist Yasin Abu Bakr." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
_____. 30 July 2009. Chris Zambelis. "Jamaat al-Muslimeen: The Growth and Decline of Islamist Militancy in Trinidad and Tobago." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
Oliveria, Brandon and Darby Aviles. June 2012. Naval Postgraduate School. "Disrupting Emerging Networks: Analyzing and Evaluating Jamaat Al-Muslimeen (JAM) and the Development of an Extremist Threat in the Caribbean." [Accessed 1 Mar. 2016]
Political Handbook of the World (PHW). 2015. "Trinidad and Tobago." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper. 21 July 2015. Derek Achong. "Abu Bakr, Jamaat Members Held…Families in Dark." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 11 July 2015. Sean Douglas. "Fuad Abu Bakr Challenges Rowley." [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
United States (US). 8 April 2011. Department of State. "Trinidad and Tobago." Country Reports on Human Rights Prcatices for 2010. [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
VICE News. 30 May 2014. Danny Gold. "The Islamic Leader Who Tried to Overthrow Trinidad Has Mellowed…a Little." [Accessed 29 Feb. 2016]
_____. N.d. "About VICE News." [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Human Rights Law Clinic, Hugh Wooding Law School; Professor of History and International Studies, Trinity College; Senior Academic Fellow, University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; British Broadcasting Corporation; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Jane's Intelligence Review; Jane's Terrorism Watch Report; Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute; United Nations - Human Rights Council, Refworld; United States - Department of State.
