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The Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt was an attempt to overthrow the government of
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, instigated on Friday, 27 July 1990. Over the course of six days,
Jamaat al Muslimeen The Jamaat al Muslimeen (, also transliterated as Jamaat-ul Muslimeen or Jama'at al-Muslimeen, ''"School of Muslims", "Group of Muslims", "The Muslim Group", "The Muslim Assembly", "The Muslim Society", "The Muslim Community"'') is a radical extr ...
, a radical extremist Islamist group, held hostages (including Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson and other government officials) at the Red House and at the headquarters of the state-owned national television broadcaster, Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT). On 1 August, the insurgents surrendered. They were charged with treason, but were ordered released by the Court of Appeal. Twenty four people were killed and many more were injured in the coup.


Background


Conflict over No. 1 Mucurapo Road

The Jamaat al Muslimeen was founded in 1982 by
Yasin Abu Bakr Yasin Abu Bakr (born Lennox Philip; 19 October 1941 – 21 October 2021) was a Trinidad and Tobago religious leader who led the Jamaat al Muslimeen, a Muslim group in Trinidad and Tobago. The group staged an attempted ''coup d’état'' in 1990 ...
, a former policeman and convert to Islam, and established a compound at No. 1 Mucurapo Road in
Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...
, on land owned by the Port of Spain City Corporation. In 1969, the property was granted to the Islamic Missionaries Guild (IMG) by the government of Trinidad and Tobago, but the transfer had never completed because the land belonged to the city, not the central government. In 1984 a court ordered the Muslimeen to vacate the property and demolish the buildings they had constructed without planning permission, including an incomplete
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
. Abu Bakr refused to comply and served a 21-day jail sentence for
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...
in 1985.


Anti-drug campaign

In the mid-1980s the Muslimeen launched a
vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...
campaign against the illegal drug trade. Muslimeen members drove drug dealers out of "drug blocks" and seized cocaine, marijuana and weapons. They organised their members into a paramilitary force and used their reputation to recruit more members, especially among the disaffected
Afro-Trinidadian Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians (or just Afro-Trinbagonians) are people from Trinidad and Tobago who are of West African descent. Social interpretations of race in Trinidad and Tobago are often used to dictate who is of West African descent ...
youth of Port of Spain.


Political and economic climate

After winning the general elections in December 1986, the
National Alliance for Reconstruction The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991. The party has been inactive since 2005. History The party was established in 1986, aiming to be a multi-racial party. Nohlen, D ...
(NAR) government implemented policies to deal with an economic decline triggered by a combination of declining petroleum production and falling oil prices. The unemployment rate had risen from a low of 10% in 1981 to a high of 22% in 1986. The NAR government implemented a programme of spending cuts, tax increases and
devalued In macroeconomics and modern monetary policy, a devaluation is an official lowering of the value of a country's currency within a fixed exchange-rate system, in which a monetary authority formally sets a lower exchange rate of the national curren ...
the
Trinidad and Tobago dollar The Trinidad and Tobago dollar ( currency code TTD) is the currency of Trinidad and Tobago. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively TT$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided i ...
in an attempt to reverse the country's economic decline. Cost of living adjustments (COLA) to public servants were suspended in 1987 and their salaries were cut by 10% in 1990. A
value-added tax A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
(VAT) was also introduced in the 1990 budget. Dissent within the ruling party led to a split within the NAR government. Four former members of the
United Labour Front The United Labour Front (ULF) was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago and the main opposition party between 1976 and 1986. It was a successor to the Democratic Labour Party and the Workers and Farmers Party. History The party was establish ...
who were expelled from Cabinet formed the Caucus for Love, Unity and Brotherhood (CLUB 88) in March 1988, and went on to form a new party, the
United National Congress The United National Congress ( UNC or UNCTT) is one of two major political parties in Trinidad and Tobago and the current parliamentary opposition. The UNC is a centre-left party. It was founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday, a Trinidadian lawyer, ...
, on 16 March 1988. In response to the government's economic
austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...
programmes, trade unions organised a one-day strike on 6 March 1989, and a March Against Hunger on 22 April. On 8 February 1990 a group of 16 trade unions and a variety of civil society organisations including the Jamaat al Muslimeen formed the Summit of People's Organisations (SOPO). In the eight weeks preceding the coup attempt, nurses had engaged in ongoing street protests in Port of Spain. The government's Social Welfare Department and the public hospitals lacked the resources to handle the increase in demands for their services. The Muslimeen stepped in, offering food, eyeglass frames, and organising medical and dental appointments. For the unemployed and homeless, especially young men, they provided structure and belonging.


Escalation

In July 1985, former bank Auditor General and one of Abu Bakr’s chief lieutenants Abdul Kareem was murdered by an unknown assailant while in police custody. It was later ruled by the Court of Appeal that the officers involved concealed the identity of the killer suspected to be a member of the Police. With the case remaining unsolved, it is widely believed that this event was the genesis of the conflict between the Jamaat and the State. In 1988, police raided the Jamaat al Muslimeen commune, seizing weapons and ammunition and arresting 34 members. The members were charged with larceny, robbery, illegal possession of weapons, rape and murder. This event led members of Jamaat al Muslimeen to believe that the government was being oppressive and had illegally occupied their land. Before the
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
attempt, Abu Bakr was arrested several times on charges of contempt of court and illegal demonstrations. According to a 2014 interview by former minister of communications Gerald Hadeed, two days before the coup attempt, Prime Minister Robinson was warned that there might be an attempt to overthrow his government on that day and he was asked to have the scheduled sitting postponed. Robinson declined, however, claiming that he had taken an oath of office and he would not deviate from it in front of a potential threat.


Coup d'état attempt

On Friday 27 July 1990 the Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. Their first act was the bombing of the Police Headquarters at around 5:50pm which by nightfall was completely gutted by fire. Almost simultaneously, forty-two insurgents led by Bilaal Abdullah stormed the Red House, the seat of
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, and took Robinson and most of his cabinet hostage, while seventy-two of their accomplices led by Yasin Abu Bakr attacked the offices of
Trinidad and Tobago Television TTT Limited, is a state owned national television broadcaster in Trinidad and Tobago with its headquarters located at 11 A Maraval Road, Port of Spain. The company formerly operated two stations; TTT channels 2 & 13 from 1962 to 2005, and Al ...
(TTT), the only television station in the country at that time. The National Broadcasting Service (NBS Radio 610AM) and the
Trinidad Broadcasting Company The Trinidad Broadcasting Company (TBC) Radio Network is a network of radio stations in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana owned and operated by Guardian Media Limited. It is headquartered at 22-24 St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobag ...
-
Radio Trinidad Radio Trinidad was the oldest radio station in Trinidad and Tobago. It began broadcasting in 1947 at 11B Maraval Road in Port of Spain on the frequency 730 AM. Over the years, the station successfully hosted a wide variety of programmes includ ...
730AM, the only two radio stations in the country were also attacked. At 6.20 pm, Yasin Abu Bakr first appeared on television and announced that the government had been overthrown and that he was negotiating with the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
. He called for calm and said that there should be no looting. Prime Minister Robinson was beaten, degraded and shot in the lower right leg when he tried to order the army to attack the militants. The army and the police responded by sealing off the area around the Red House. Widespread looting and arson took place in
Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...
and other parts of the
East–West Corridor The East–West Corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, east to Arima. The term was coined by economist and political philosopher Lloyd Best, after gleaning the works of a technocrat named ...
, but the remainder of the country was calm. American Airlines and British Airways cancelled all flights to the capital city. A state of emergency was declared by acting president
Emmanuel Carter Joseph Emmanuel Carter (18 December 1929 – 21 January 2015) was a Trinidad and Tobago civil servant and politician. He served as President of the Senate between 1990 and 1995. Early life Joseph Emmanuel Carter was born on 18 December 1929 and ed ...
at 9:00am on Saturday 28th. Several cabinet members who had not been present in the Red House at the time of the attack set up office in the Trinidad Hilton. After four broadcasts by the Jamaat, the army on the night of 27 July took control of the TTT transmitters on Cumberland Hill and Gran Couva, thus taking TTT off the air. The establishment of an alternative broadcast facility initially at Cumberland Hill and then Camp Ogden allowed members of the government and the army to disseminate official broadcasts to the public. The takeover by the Jamaat of Radio Trinidad 730AM which was adjacent to TTT failed and secured by the army. The firebombing of NBS Radio 610AM also failed and remained online during the ordeal. On the night of July 27, the Jamaat were isolated by the army at both Red House and TTT locations with no access to radio and television for propaganda. After six days of negotiations with an amnesty agreement in place, the Jamaat al Muslimeen surrendered on 1 August and were taken into custody.


Aftermath

The Jamaat al Muslimeen members who surrendered were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released. The
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...
later invalidated the amnesty, but they were not re-arrested. About 24 people died during the coup attempt, with millions of
Trinidad and Tobago dollar The Trinidad and Tobago dollar ( currency code TTD) is the currency of Trinidad and Tobago. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively TT$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided i ...
s in property losses. Among the dead was the Member of Parliament for
Diego Martin Diego Martin is a town and is the urban commercial center and capital of the Diego Martin region in Trinidad and Tobago. Its location in the region is just on the south eastern border, west of the capital city of Port of Spain and east of the t ...
Central,
Leo Des Vignes Leo Des Vignes was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Diego Martin Central from January 12, 1987 until his death on August 1, 1990. He had won the seat during the general election of 1986. H ...
. Many people saw the coup attempt as the end of the power of the
National Alliance for Reconstruction The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991. The party has been inactive since 2005. History The party was established in 1986, aiming to be a multi-racial party. Nohlen, D ...
government. In the aftermath of the
11 September attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
in the United States, Trinidad and Tobago police raided three mosques but no weapons were found. On 22 September, Abu Bakr was detained and questioned for two hours at London's Heathrow airport while en route to an Islamic conference in
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
. Trinidadian police accused the group of receiving money and training from Libya and Sudan. In the same year,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
police uncovered a plot to smuggle 60 rifles and 10 submachine guns to the Jamaat in Trinidad. In late July or early August 2010, the court ruled that many properties owned by the Jamaat would be sold to make up for the cost of the destruction of buildings in the coup attempt. A Commission of Enquiry was appointed to enquire into the events surrounding the attempted coup was formally launched in 2010. On 13 March 2014, the final report was presented to President
Anthony Carmona Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona (born 7 March 1953) is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago, from 2013 to 2019. Previously he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and he served ...
. The Enquiry found that the proximate cause of the attempted coup was the inadequate communication by Special Branch of the Police Service to inform national security with two years of intelligence that an insurrection by the Jamaat against the Republic was likely. Those within national security who did receive the intelligence either underestimated or discounted the threat which prevented counter-measures. The Enquiry also noted that losses due to arson and looting during the coup was estimated to be TTD $450,000,000.00.


Books & Media

Three documentaries were made with respect to the attempted coup: # Kaiso For July 27th (1991) - A 22-minute documentary interspersed with Calypso discussing the aftermath one year later. # SIEGE (2008) - A 28-minute documentary recounting the terror and courage of employees at TTT. # 1990 (2009) - A 23-minute documentary produced by
CCN TV6 The Caribbean Communications Network Television 6 (CCN TV6) is a Trinidadian free-to-air television network. It operates an analog NTSC television system, broadcasting on channels 6 and 18 in the island of Trinidad and channel 19 in Tobago. Its ...
reviewing the events and testimonies of some of the hostages. Five books have been written about the attempted coup: # "The Muslimeen grab for power: Race, religion, and revolution in Trinidad and Tobago" by political scientist
Selwyn Ryan Selwyn Ryan (1936 – 12 March 2022) was a Trinidad and Tobago political scientist and pollster. Ryan has been described as "the author of record for the nation's modern political history" and "the most prolific and influential intellectual in pos ...
. # "A society under siege: a study of political confusion and legal mysticism" by criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran both documenting the background, culmination and immediate aftermath of the attempted coup. # "Days of Wrath: The 1990 Coup in Trinidad and Tobago" by journalist
Raoul Pantin Raoul Pantin (June 5, 1943 – January 15, 2015) was a Trinidad and Tobago journalist, editor, poet and playwright. He penned six plays during his career. Pantin survived the 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt and terrorist attack, in which he a ...
, gives an account of his experience as one of the hostages at TTT. # "1990: The Personal Account of a Journalist Under Siege" by journalist Dennis McComie who had the humanitarian task to inform the public throughout the ordeal via the lone functioning radio station – NBS Radio 610AM/100FM. # "Attack With Full Force" by Retired Brigadier General Ancil Wayne Antoine documenting his experiences during and after the attempted coup as a Major in the Trinidad & Tobago Regiment.


References


External links


Report of the Commission of Enquiry into the 1990 attempted coup
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamaat Al Muslimeen Coup Attempt 1990 riots 1990 in Trinidad and Tobago Politics of Trinidad and Tobago Riots and civil disorder in Trinidad and Tobago Attempted coups d'état 1990s coups d'état and coup attempts July 1990 events in North America August 1990 events in North America