Some Muslim spokespersons last Friday raised legitimate concerns about proposed legislation that will target terrorists from T&T. "This proposes violation of our rights, freedom of movement and travel to worship," complained Islamic Missionaries Guild head Imtiaz Mohammed. Islamic Front head Umar Abdullah asserted that the Bill will be "negative, chaotic and oppressive for Muslims".
However, these leaders may have jumped the gun, since they have not yet read what is being proposed. Attorney General Faris al-Rawi has indicated his willingness to meet with representatives of the Muslim community, but also noted that "There may be a lot of speculation as people would not have seen the full text of the Bill yet."
It is also rather unfortunate that the spokespersons who protested in front of the Parliament last Friday seem to have already taken the stance that there is no need for strengthening this country's anti-terrorism legislation and, additionally, adopted a rather bellicose tone in voicing their objections. "If the Attorney General is smart enough, he is going to meet with me today," Abdullah told reporters, adding that "If he doesn't, he is going to start a process that he would not be able to pull back at all" and warning that nobody "would call him a terrorist and get away with it."
As a matter of strict technicality, though, the Bill does not identify Muslims at all. Instead, the legislation specifies persons who may commit certain acts, whether within the boundaries of T&T or internationally, and the penalties for so doing.
However, given the fact that this country has produced at least 130 ISIS recruits in the past three years–making T&T in per capita terms the highest Western hemisphere supplier of foreign fighters to the organisation–the Bill is clearly a response to that situation.
Nonetheless, Imam Abdullah denied that these recruits were affecting T&T in any way, asking: "Are they terrorizing our nations? Are they committing murders? Are they robbing our citizens?" However, ISIS is more than likely to collapse before achieving its ultimate goal of establishing a caliphate, let alone a functional polity, and when that happens the recruits will probably return to the lands of their birth.
Indeed, many may try to do so even before ISIS is defeated, and the authorities here must have the legal means to deal with them since they will very likely pose a threat to national security.
More generally, the greater concern should be that so many individuals have left T&T, some with their small children, to join ISIS which, scholars and leaders around the world have insisted, is perverting the peaceful principles of Islam.
Local Muslims should be especially concerned that most of the recruits are reportedly converts to Islam, suggesting that those who have been born into the faith are far less likely to become radicalised.
Leaders should thus be exerting every sinew to spread the tenets of Islam in a manner that repudiates the extremism that has drawn these men to ISIS.
In this context, it cannot be assumed a priori by Muslim spokesmen that there is absolutely no need for strengthening and revamping this country's anti-terrorism legislation.
Good law balances the rights of citizens with the need for security and, as a general principle, errs on the former side. This should be the starting point of any objections to the Bill.