Faris Al-Rawi is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician. He was the former

Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago According to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, the supreme law of the nation, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Roles and funct ...

from 2015 to 2022. He is also a Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for the constituency of

San Fernando West San Fernando West is a parliamentary electoral district in comprising the western part of the city of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. It came into effect in time for the 1956 Trinidad and Tobago general election. Members of Parliament This c ...

Early life

Faris Al-Rawi, was born in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

. He is the son of Husam Al-Rawi and Diane Seukeran. His father is a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Iraqi

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

, while his mother, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Indo-Trinidadian Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Indian-Trinidadians and Tobagonians, are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago whose ancestors came from India and the wider subcontinent beginning in 1845. Indo-Trinidadians and ...

, also represented the

constituency in Parliament. His maternal grandfather, Lionel Frank Seukeran, served in Parliament as a member of the Democratic Labour Party, a former opposing party of the

People's National Movement The People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of Trinidad and Tobago's history, contesting all elections sinc ...

and predecessor to the

United National Congress The United National Congress ( UNC or UNCTT) is one of two major political parties in Trinidad and Tobago and the current parliamentary opposition. The UNC is a centre-left party. It was founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday, a Trinidadian lawyer, e ...

. His maternal great-grandfather was

Pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

Seukeran Sharma, a

Hindu priest A Hindu priest, used irrespective of gender, may refer to either of the following: * A Pujari (IAST: Pūjārī) or an Archaka is a Hindu temple priest. * A Purohita (IAST: Purōhita) officiates and performs rituals and ceremonies, and is usual ...

, from Tableland,

Princes Town Princes Town is a town within the Princes Town Regional Corporation, located on southern Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. The population of the town is 28,335. History Founded as the Amerindian '' Mission of Savana Grande'', the town ...

, Trinidad and Tobago. Al-Rawi was educated at

Presentation College, San Fernando Presentation College San Fernando is a selective, government-assisted Roman Catholic Boys’ Secondary School located in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. It claims to be the first Catholic secondary school in South Trinidad, having been establ ...

, the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

and completed a master's degree in Law at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Al-Rawi claims descent from the Islamic Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

through his Iraqi father, but he is noted for his relaxed religious views and mixed religious background. He has described himself as "the son of an Iraqi

man and a Trinidadian

woman and a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

aternalgrandfather". He is married to Mona Nahous who is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

descent. He has also said he has fasted for

Divali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is on ...

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, and

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

and calls himself a "child of God" when asked what his religion was. He has said he has never eaten pork and that alcohol is not for him.

Political career

Al-Rawi entered politics in 1995 as a legal advisor to the Tunapuna – Piarco Regional Corporation. He served as an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in the

Port of Spain City Corporation Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

between 2003 and 2006 and was appointed an Opposition

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 2010. Al-Rawi contested

constituency in the 2015 General Election, beating

Raziah Ahmed Raziah Ahmed is a former Senator of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Political involvement Former President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago - 2015, she was the second woman in the history of Trinidad and Tobago to act as President of her c ...

of the United National Congress.Elections and Boundaries Commission, official results (xlsx)
/ref> Newly elected Prime Minister

Keith Rowley Keith Christopher Rowley (born 24 October 1949) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician serving as the seventh prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, first elected into office on 9 September 2015 and again following the 2020 general electi ...

appointed Al-Rawi as Attorney-General and he served from 2015 to 2022.

Controversy

In October 2016 Al-Rawi's children were photographed in possession of high powered military grade assault rifles. He responded that they were receiving training from the

Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Tr ...

in response to unreported death threats. The fact of their training was confirmed by the Defence Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawi, Faris Living people University of the West Indies alumni Alumni of King's College London Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago) People's National Movement politicians Attorneys General of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago people of Iraqi descent Trinidad and Tobago politicians of Indian descent Hashemite people 1971 births People from San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago