HGP Nightly News – Two leading human rights organisations have issued a strong joint statement condemning recent remarks made by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, calling his comments about lesbian and bisexual Muslims “divisive and discriminatory.”
Sexualities Women and Genders (SWAG) and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana released the statement on March 5, responding to a widely circulated video in which Mohamed is seen and heard chastising “questionable persons, lesbians, bisexuals coming in the masjid and pray.” In the video, he lamented that leaders are not speaking out about this.
SWAG’s Co-Chair Savannah Williams was blunt in her response: “There are lesbians and bisexual people who are devout Muslims, whether Mr. Mohamed likes it or not.” She added pointedly, “It’s not Mohamed’s place to judge any Muslim or worshipper, he is not God or Allah.”
The organisations noted that these are Mohamed’s first public comments on sexual minorities since being elected as a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition. The timing, they argued, made the remarks particularly troubling.
The religious observances of Ramadan, Lent, and Vasant Vart currently intersect, a season that should inspire inclusion and respect for diversity, not division. “Guyana’s diversity includes lesbians and bisexual people,” the statement read.
SASOD Guyana’s Chairperson Mishka Puran described the comments as a “missed opportunity” to share a message of unity and compassion. She called on Mohamed to clarify his and his party’s position on reforming Guyana’s laws to decriminalise same-sex intimacy and protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Polls show a strong majority of Guyanese across the political spectrum support these reforms,” Puran noted.
The organisations also highlighted a contradiction between Mohamed’s mosque remarks and the position articulated by his party’s General Secretary, Odessa Primus, at an LGBTQIA+ Elections Town Hall on July 29, 2025. At that forum, Primus indicated WIN’s support for necessary law reforms and championed public education to improve social attitudes.
SASOD’s Managing Director Joel Simpson posed a pointed question: “Mohamed could have called on his Muslim brothers and sisters to be more inclusive and welcome lesbian and bisexual Muslims to their masjids, but he chose to do the opposite. How is WIN championing education to change attitudes at one forum and preaching division and exclusion in the masjid?”
Simpson added a crucial observation about the nature of political leadership: “Mr. Mohamed cannot separate his personal, religious views on policy issues from his role as the Leader of the Opposition.”
Both organisations expressed willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and publicly called on Mohamed and WIN’s leadership to clarify how his office and party will deliver on the electoral promises made in 2025.
“Electoral promises must be delivered,” the statement concluded.
