AKBAR Muhammad has taken issue with the Government of Guyana after being detained for questioning by local law enforcement officials. The information that was acted upon warranted his detention for questioning and this I see as nothing unusual especially since he was accorded his rights as a detainee. Additionally, Mr. Muhammad did mention that two Caucasian men accompanied the law enforcement personnel who accosted him at his hotel door. Strangely, this piece of information has somewhat disappeared from all discussions surrounding Mr. Muhammad.
It must be noted, that Guyana has a vibrant Muslim community, which is allowed the freedom to practise their faith in an open manner unlike the country that Mr. Muhammad comes from. In fact, Guyana can serve as a model for religious and ethnic harmony especially to those countries who seek to preach about inclusiveness and transparency. Therefore Mr. Muhammad’s argument that he was targeted because he is Muslim can at best be classified as drivel.
Any Muslim, Guyanese or otherwise, minister or layman travelling to the United States can relate the travesties which take place at JFK. Muslims are targeted deliberately as a matter of policy; Muslim Ministers of the Government of Guyana can attest to this. President Jagdeo mentioned the case of Irfaan Ali, the Minister of Housing and Water who has had to endure the royal dress down even though he is part of a presidential delegation. So Mr. Muhammad when you speak of being discriminated against because you are a Muslim, point your fingers to the US, not Guyana.
Mr. Muhammad probably felt that he was above the law and entitled to some form of preferential treatment as a result of his frequent travels. Unfortunately, this was not the case. He was a suspect and was treated as such and released when the opposite was proven. This is standard operating procedure so I don’t see what this big fuss is about.