Noor Hassanali

His Excellency
Noor Hassanali
TC
2nd President of Trinidad and Tobago
In office
20 March 1987 – 17 March 1997
Prime MinisterA.N.R. Robinson
Patrick Manning
Basdeo Panday
Preceded byEllis Clarke
Succeeded byA. N. R. Robinson
Personal details
Born
Noor Mohamed Hassanali

(1918-08-13)13 August 1918[1]
San Fernando, Colony of Trinidad and Tobago, British West Indies
Died25 August 2006(2006-08-25) (aged 88)
Westmoorings, Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago
Resting placeWestern Cemetery, St. James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Zalayhar Mohammed
​
(m. 1952)​
Children
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer
  • magistrate

Noor Mohamed Hassanali TC (pronounced [nuːrə moːɦəmməd̪ə ɦəsənɑːliː]; 13 August 1918 – 25 August 2006)[2] was a Trinidadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second president of Trinidad and Tobago from 1987 to 1997. A retired high-court judge, he was the first person of Indian descent along with being the first Muslim to hold the office of President of Trinidad and Tobago, and he was the first Muslim head of state in the Americas.[3][4]

Hassanali was president during the 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt when an Islamist group bombed the nation's police headquarters, stormed its Parliament and took the prime minister and his Cabinet hostage. Hassanali, who was visiting London at the time and remained there until the government regained control, aided in calming his fellow citizens and getting rule of law and democracy back on track on his return. His tenure, though largely ceremonial, was noted for its efforts to bridge the nation's racial divide and building consensus between various political parties.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Lentz III, H. M. (2013). Trinidad and Tobago - Heads of State; Heads of Government. In Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 (p. 758). New York, NY: Routledge.
  2. ^ Profile of Noor Mohamed Hassanali
  3. ^ "Noor Hassanali". The Times. 29 September 2006. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 September 2019 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  4. ^ "#BTColumn - Of Muslims and social justice". Barbados Today. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Noor Hassanali, 88; Former President of Trinidad and Tobago". Los Angeles Times. 27 August 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Obituaries". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  7. ^ 25 August 2006, 8 August 1918. "Noor Hassanali". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 February 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)