In the aftermath of the JFK (faux) bomb plot, Trinidad is suddenly in the news as never before. At places like dKos and TPM the general attitude is that the whole bomb plot was released to take attention away from the Democratic debate. The prevailing attitude is one of amusement, coupled with “should we invade Trinidad?” comments. Elsewhere, people have reclassified Trinidad as a new source of concern.
I will never be one to underestimate the Jamaat al Muslimeen. I lived through the coup, it shaped my life in a major way. I have seen allegations that Ibrahim and Nur were associated with the Jamaat. I’m not so quick to dismiss them. So while I agree that the timing is suspect, that doesn’t mean that there’s no problem.
Which brings me to this story, which reports that Muslim Trinis (and non-Muslim Trinis with Muslim surnames) are afraid of being victimised if they travel to the US. Floyd, who flew up the day that the plot was released, apparently had some interesting experiences. I just don’t know what sort of attention this will bring. Certainly, at least in the short term, it has changed the way that people see Trinidadians. The attention isn’t something I welcome.
Filed under: Politics, Trinidad and Tobago
