Noor Hassanali
Noor Hassanali | |
|---|---|
| 2nd President of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| In office 20 March 1987 – 17 March 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | A. N. R. Robinson Patrick Manning Basdeo Panday |
| Preceded by | Ellis Clarke |
| Succeeded by | A. N. R. Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Noor Mohamed Hassanali 13 August 1918 |
| Died | 25 August 2006 (aged 88) Westmoorings, Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Resting place | Western Cemetery, St. James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Zalayhar Mohammed (m. 1952) |
| Children |
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| Occupation |
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Noor Mohamed Hassanali TC (13 August 1918 – 25 August 2006) 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 and first Muslim president of Trinidad and Tobago, and the first Muslim head of state in the Americas.
Hassanali was president during the 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt, in which 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.