Noor Mohamed Hassanali (; 13 August 1918 – 25 August 2006) was the second

president of Trinidad and Tobago The president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander-in-chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before w ...

(1987–1997). A retired high-court judge, Hassanali was the first person of

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descent along with being the first

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 ...

to hold the office of President of Trinidad and Tobago, and he was the first Muslim

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

in the

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. 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 which was largely ceremonial was noted for its efforts to bridge the nation's racial divide and building consensus between various political parties.

Biography

The sixth of seven children, Hassanali was born into a

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 ...

family 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 ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. He attended the Corinth Canadian Mission Primary School and

Naparima College Naparima College (informally known as Naps) is a public secondary school for boys in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in San Fernando, the school was founded in 1894 but received official recognition in 1900. It was established by Dr. Kenneth J. G ...

. After graduating he taught at Naparima from 1938 to 1943. In 1943 he travelled to

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, where he studied at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Hassanali was described as "one of the most neutral, reserved, and dignified figures in the history of T&T politics".A dignified figure of T&T politics
''

Trinidad Guardian The ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' (together with the ''Sunday Guardian'') is the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. The paper is considered the newspaper of record for Trinidad and Tobago. History Its first edition was published ...

'', 26 August 2006. When he was inaugurated as president in 1987 he was described as "a person of impeccable credentials who has a reputation for honesty and humility of the highest order." As a Muslim, Hassanali chose not to serve alcoholic beverages at President's House. Despite reservations on the part of Prime Minister

A. N. R. Robinson Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (16 December 1926 – 9 April 2014; known as A. N. R. or "Ray" Robinson), was the third President of Trinidad and Tobago, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago's third Prime ...

, the decision was never seen as controversial by the public. Hassanali succeeded acting president

Ellis Clarke Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke (28 December 191730 December 2010) was the first President of Trinidad and Tobago and the second and last Governor-General. He was one of the main architects of Trinidad and Tobago's 1962 Independence constitu ...

(1976–1987) and was himself succeeded by Arthur N. R. Robinson (president 1997–2003).The Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - History of the Presidency
/ref> Hassanali died on 25 August 2006 at his home in

Westmoorings Westmoorings is a residential area in the region of Diego Martin on the island Trinidad, west of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. This suburb consists of mainly lower middle class to upper-class families and is generally known th ...

, Trinidad and Tobago, at the age of 88. He had suffered from hypertension for the preceding year. Hassanali was buried later in the day, following Islamic rites, in the Western Cemetery in

Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago Saint James is a district of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain's last major municipal expansion occurred in 1938, when the St. James district north of Woodbrook and west of St. Clair was incorporated into the city limits. In the ...

References

;Citations ;Sources
Biography
from Nalis.

from Nalis.

– Nancy Graydon, ''Border Lines'', University of Toronto; Fall 2003.

– Angela Pidduck {{DEFAULTSORT:Hassanali, Noor Mohamed 1918 births 2006 deaths Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent University of Toronto alumni Trinidad and Tobago Muslims 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago judges Trinidad and Tobago politicians of Indian descent British Trinidad and Tobago judges People from San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago