Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee (The Jamaican), the radical Jamaican-born cleric, made international headlines when he was arrested in Mombassa, Kenya on New Year’s Eve 2009.  Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unity (ATPU) arrested al-Faisal in the suburbs of Nyali after he was leaving a local mosque with fellow worshippers following the conclusion of evening prayers.  According to initial reports by Kenyan authorities, al-Faisal was detained because he violated the terms of his tourist visa; he was apparently granted entry into Kenya on a tourist visa which precludes him from preaching in local mosques (Daily Nation [Nairobi], January 1).  Kenyan authorities later admitted that they viewed al-Faisal as a security threat, with some going as far to suggest that al-Faisal was inciting his local followers to support the Shabaab al-Mujahideen militant movement in neighboring Somalia (Jamaican Observer, January 12; Daily Nation [Nairobi], February 15).

The recent incident in Kenya is not the first time al-Faisal’s presence has stirred controversy in Africa; he was also deported from Botswana in 2009, where local authorities accused him of recruiting local militants to attack the upcoming World Cup football tournament in South Africa (Sunday Standard [Gaborone], January 18).  The controversial cleric, whose track record of a virulent oratory presence on the Internet [1] and connections to radical Islamist militants has made him the object of close scrutiny by international authorities, has been touring Africa over the last couple of years.  In addition to Kenya and Botswana, al-Faisal is also reported to have made stops all over the continent in South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania (Afrik.com [Paris], January 18).  Subsequent attempts by Kenyan authorities to deport al-Faisal to Jamaica sparked a diplomatic game of hot potato and several public demonstrations, some violent, led by supporters of the cleric who hosted his visit (Daily Nation [Nairobi], January 1).  Kenya’s attempt to send al-Faisal to Gambia, which is reported to have agreed to host the cleric and assist him with travel to Jamaica, failed because Nigeria refused to grant him a transit visa upon his arrival in Lagos en route to Gambia.  Gambia later reneged on its offer to accept al-Faisal because of the negative publicity surrounding the situation (Jamaican Observer, January 12).  The crisis over al-Faisal also raised questions regarding details of the cleric’s African itinerary; some sources reported that Kenya tried (and failed) to deport al-Faisal to neighboring Tanzania, where he was alleged to have entered the country overland.  Authorities in Tanzania, however, deny that al-Faisal ever stepped foot on Tanzanian soil (Daily News [Dar es Salaam], January 6).  Other sources reported that the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa, among others, also refused to grant al-Faisal a transit visa to enable him to travel back to Jamaica (Jamaica Observer, January 12).

After a brief stint in a Nairobi prison, Kenyan authorities finally chartered a Gulfstream Jet and deported al-Faisal to Jamaica (Jamaica Observer, January 23).  The outpouring of support among al-Faisal’s followers in Kenya and abroad—upwards of five demonstrators protesting his detainment in Kenya were reported killed, and others wounded, with some protesters allegedly brandishing al-Shabaab flags during the protests that turned violent—however, raises questions about his background, ideology, and global influence, especially among English-speaking militants (Daily Nation, February 15).

The 46-year old al-Faisal’s notoriety stems from his time in United Kingdom.  The outspoken and charismatic cleric enjoyed a strong following among members—particularly Muslim converts, including many Afro-Caribbean converts with roots in Jamaica and other parts of the English-speaking Caribbean, and British-born Muslims of South Asian descent—of London’s Masjid Ibn Taymeeyah (more commonly known as the Brixton Mosque and Islamic Cultural Center) in the early 1990s until he was ousted by the mosque’s clerical leadership.  Al-Faisal’s audio taped sermons became widely popular among militants and were often sold and traded across the U.K.  Widely reputed as a hotbed of radicalism in the 1990s, the Brixton mosque has seen the likes of Richard Reid (better known as the “shoe bomber”)—who  is reported to have attended sermons conducted by al-Faisal—and Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted for his role in the September 11, 2001 attacks (BBC, May 25, 2007).  Jamaican-born Germaine Lindsay, one of the suicide bombers who executed the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks in London, is also reported to have been influenced by al-Faisal’s teachings (BBC, May 25, 2007).  Umar Farouk Abdul Muttallab, the Nigerian man linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) who is accused of attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound airline on Christmas Day 2009, is also reported to have listened to al-Faisal’s sermons (Jamaica Observer, January 12).  Al-Faisal was eventually tried and convicted by British authorities in 2003 for incitement to murder and hatred against—among others—Americans, Jews, and Hindus (BBC, May 25, 2007).  Al-Faisal served half of a seven-year sentence and was released on parole only to be deported to his native Jamaica immediately following his release (Jamaican Gleaner, May 26, 2007).

A prolific lecturer, al-Faisal covers topics typical of radical Islamists, such as his scathing critiques of U.S. and Western foreign policy in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.  Al-Faisal is also a vocal critic of another popular jihadi target, the Saudi royal family and corresponding clerical establishment. Evidenced by his 70-minute plus sermon entitled “The Devil’s Deception of the Saudi Salafis,” al-Faisal sees the Saudi clerical establishment as enablers of a facade of legitimacy to a corrupt and hypocritical regime that serves as an agent of U.S. imperial interests [2].  In a testament to his influence, al-Faisal’s scathing critique of the Saudi religious establishment and its ideological allies abroad elicited a fierce response by the targets of al-Faisal’s ire who in turn questioned the Jamaican cleric’s religious legitimacy in response [3].

Al-Faisal’s foray into radical Islamist politics is shrouded in mystery, even in his native Jamaica, where members of the local Muslim community and other observers seem to know little about the enigmatic cleric and his subsequent path towards radicalism [4].  Born Trevor William Forest in Point, a village located just outside Montego Bay in Upper St. James, al-Faisal was raised in an Evangelical Christian family that regularly attended Sunday services at the local Salvation Army church (Jamaica Gleaner, June 6, 2007).  Al-Faisal is reported to have converted to Islam at the age of 16 after being introduced to the faith by one of his school instructors.  Soon after his conversion, al-Faisal began his global migration with a year-long sojourn to Guyana in 1983 to study Islam and Arabic.  Al-Faisal then left for Saudi Arabia to study, where he spent almost 8 years earning a degree in Islamic studies.  He then migrated to the U.K. in 1991, ultimately settling in Brixton, where he became active in the local black community.  (Jamaica Observer, January 24; Jamaica Gleaner, May 26, 2007).

Al-Faisal has cultivated a strong following among English-speaking militants in the United Kingdom and across the globe, including the obscure New York City-based groups Revolution Muslim [5] and Islamic Thinkers Society [6]. Revolution Muslim, for instance, touts itself as the “North American Representatives of Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal.”  Al-Faisal’s Jamaican background has also raised questions about the extent of his influence in Jamaica and the wider Latin America and Caribbean region, especially the English-speaking Caribbean.  Al-Faisal’s popularity in Africa, at least among a narrow fringe within the larger Muslim community, does not appear to have taken root in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Since being deported from the U.K., al-Faisal has remained a prolific lecturer in Jamaica.  He has even appeared on Jamaican television to debate religious matters with local Christian leaders [7].  Meanwhile, members of Jamaica’s mainstream Muslim community have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from the controversial cleric.  Jamaican authorities are quoted as stating that “extra security measures” will be instituted to monitor al-Faisal’s activities in Jamaica (The Standard [Nairobi], January 22).

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