ASJA calls for peaceful dialogue amid tension in the region

IN THE CARIBBEAN: The USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest military aircraft carrier, is now in the southern Caribbean Sea. - AP PHOTO

Yet another religious body has called for peaceful dialogue and co-operation amid rising tensions in the Caribbean.

On November 21, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association Inc (ASJA) issued a media statement expressing deep concern over the tension arising from the developing crisis between Venezuela and the increasing presence of US military forces in the Caribbean.

“At this delicate moment in our shared Caribbean history, ASJA appeals firmly and compassionately for calm, dialogue, and co-operation,” the statement said.

“The Caribbean has long been regarded as a zone of peace, a region where diplomacy and mutual respect prevail over aggression. We must not allow fear, mistrust, geopolitical pressure, or external power struggles to push our peoples toward instability.”

ASJA is one of the oldest and largest Muslim organisations in TT.

“As Muslims, and as Caribbean people, we cannot ignore the painful lessons of recent history. The scars of Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Afghanistan remain etched into the collective consciousness of humanity,” the statement said.

“We have witnessed how war does not merely destroy buildings, it destroys families, shatters economies, uproots generations, and leaves psychological wounds that last decades.”

ASJA urged on “our leaders” to reflect deeply on these tragedies.

ASJA stressed that the loss of innocent life, the displacement of communities, and the devastation of entire nations must never be repeated in our hemisphere.

The statement added, “The sanctity of life, every individual life, is sacred in Islam, and any action that threatens peace must be approached with extreme caution and moral responsibility.”

ASJA said the Islamic tradition is abundantly clear on matters of conflict and peace.

“Allah commands believers to incline toward peace whenever possible, and to uphold justice, honesty, and the dignity of all people,” it said.

“The Prophet Mohammed consistently demonstrated that diplomacy, negotiation, mutual respect, and the protection of innocent life remain the highest forms of moral leadership.”

Earlier in the week, on November 17, the Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) expressed its solidarity with the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), the Archbishop of Port of Spain, and the Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today (CTCT), voicing deep concern over the mounting tensions in the Southern Caribbean and the growing humanitarian crisis faced by migrants and the poor throughout the region.

A statement from CCSJ said the threat of conflict and social fragmentation challenges us to respond with faith, prudence, and compassion.

The CCSJ also prayed that regional and national leaders would choose the path of dialogue over division and that our peoples would reject fear and indifference.

In addition, the CCSJ condemned the recent extrajudicial killings of suspected drug couriers in international waters, calling such acts violations of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.

It further stated that such actions are in grave contradiction to Catholic moral teaching and international maritime law, both of which require humane treatment for all people, even when accused of a crime.