Mr. Hamilton Green is and will always be a friend of mine regardless of his past ruthless acts, committed against persons who dared to disagree with his particular brand of politics.
However, there are two things Hammie did that hurt my feelings and one that amused me. I will deal with the first two.

Recently, Mr. Green mentioned in a letter to Stabroek News that he hopes I am granted a speedy trial (and I thank him for that) but then he continues to say, "Mark is no friend of mine." Now come on, Hammie, what has become of your message of moral and spiritual revival? Your behaviour is a total contradiction of the Holy Qu'ran's scripture on forgiveness; chapter 135, section 3. Pay special attention to footnote 1307 on the subject of hypocrites, "All their oaths are false, and in taking the false oaths they are destroying their spiritual life."

Secondly, I was hurt when I saw you embrace the two Guyanese world boxing champions, Wayne 'Big Truck' Braithwaite and 'Vicious' Vivian Harris. I was hurt because either of our two young champs could have been brutally assassinated by the 'Black Clothes' police. 'Vicious' Vivian was a vendor like his brother Sean Harris who was beaten by Hammie's City Police and locked up while selling t-shirts and shorts on Regent Street.

Finally, my amusement at Mr. Hamilton Green. Through his adoption of the Muslim name Bilal, he has tried to subtly equate himself with the great Hadhrat Bilal, who was an Abyssinian slave of a disbeliever in Mecca. The real Bilal never bowed down to the brutal oppressors of his time. In fact, he stood up to Ummayah bin Khalaf, who was the worst enemy of Islam and who tried his utmost to force Bilal to "Renounce Islam or swelter and die!" He eventually tired of torturing Bilal and sold him to Abu Bakr, who released him as a free Muslim.

I have read T. Hanoman's letter where he alluded to the issue of Mr. Green clinging to his slave name as a 'mystery to many.' It certainly isn't a mystery to the thousands of us who realise the cultural ramifications of such an act. However, I do believe Mr. Green should have answered the writer's question about his choice to cremate his late wife, Shirley Field-Ridley when it was not in keeping with his faith as a Muslim.

Assalaamu alaikum, Hammie and I wish you all the best. Bismillahhir Rahmanir-Rahim. Allaho Akbar.

Yours faithfully,
Maria Benschop for Mark Benschop

  Friday November 22, 2002