Moonilal dismisses views of former detainee on gender equality

Roodal Moonilal has rejected the views of Isalamic cleric Ashmead Mohammed that women must not be leaders to rule over men.

Mohammed, who was detained and later released in connection with the alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Moonilal and two other cabinet ministers, made the comment in an interview with the Newsday newspaper.

Read the story: Former Muslim detainee says women cannot be leaders

Moonilal told reporters Wednesday all citizens to be open-minded to gender equality.

"I am informed that his (Mohammed) view is a minority one which does not represent those of the majority of my brothers and sisters from the Islamic faith, who subscribe to the United Nations Convention on Equality,” Moonilal said.

“My advice to all citizens is to maintain their open- mindedness and commitment to the universal rights and freedoms which is the bedrock of a democratic institution,” Moonilal said. 

Mohammed had also suggested that the severe flooding that has affected people in Trinidad & Tobago has been caused because the country's head of government is a woman.

Moonilal said he did not wish to respond to Mohammed's claim. However he stated, “ Disasters, natural or otherwise, will take place time and time again and it has nothing to do with whether a man or a woman is leading."

He added, “It is our job to prevent such occurrences. I don’t think that the enormous flooding when the PNM was in control had anything to do with a man being the leader of the country."