Dear Editor,

What happens when a Jamaican national migrates to another country and receives teaching or advanced training in a non-productive way that is detrimental to his social standing? It casts a bad image on Jamaica.

This seems to be the case with Muslim Cleric Sheikh al-Faisal (born Trevor Forrest). In the November 30, 2009 edition of the Observer, I stated why all deportees should be classified. Al-Faisal is a prime example. Indeed, he is a citizen of Jamaica by birth and no one can deny him access. However, he was taught and trained in a foreign territory and not in Jamaica. For example, he was converted to Islam and completed eight years of studies at a university in Saudi Arabia. He resided in the United Kingdom for 26 years and was deported from that country on May 25, 2007 after spending time in prison for criminal offences.

I am not in a position to make any judgement on whether or not he has been rehabilitated, but based on his profile he should be considered a dangerous man. What sets each deportee apart are their educational attainment, training and experience, as well as whether they have been truly rehabilitated and whether they can contribute to the society in productive and meaningful ways.

It is therefore al-Faisal’s teaching that has made the difference, as well as his growing up in a different culture. His only connection to Jamaica is by birth, and he did not relinquish his citizenship or ties with Jamaica. Therefore, Jamaica has to accommodate such an individual in a country that already has a tarnished image. Abdullah al-Faisal has created a bad image for himself and has cast a bad shadow on everybody living in Jamaica, especially the Muslim group whose members are law-abiding citizens. Upon his arrival, authorities will have their work cut out for them in order to monitor his whereabouts.

Charlie Brown

charliebrown1004@hotmail.com