“Divisive and discriminatory” – US-indicted LOO slammed for homophobic comments on LGBTQIA+ worshippers

The United States-indicted opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) is receiving immense backlash over his anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks he made at a masjid recently.
In a video clip that has been circulating on social media, whilst speaking at a masjid recently, Mohamed is heard saying, “At our masjid in Georgetown, you know, questionable persons; lesbians and bisexuals come into the masjid and pray. What are our leaders really doing?”
Mohamed later took to his Team Mohamed’s Facebook page to defend his remarks by directly attacking Government Ministers Kwame McCoy and Susan Rodrigues.
“My remarks reflected my personal religious belief. As Muslims, all are welcome to the masjid, where we partake in all activities in the outskirts of the musalla, but it should be known that the space of prayers is sacred. We have seen Ministers Kwame McCoy and Susan Rodrigues being welcomed in a Masjid, performing prayers when they are openly in same-sex relationships; this goes against every fabric of Islam,” Mohamed posted.
“Coupled with the fact that they are not Muslims and they have breached a sacred space in the masjid, the place of performing prayers. When I spoke, I was referencing the sunnah and expressing a perspective grounded in faith,” he added.
In the same vein, Mohamed said it was not his intention to “target, insult, or demean” the LGBTQIA+ community.
Widespread condemnation
The Opposition Leader has since faced widespread condemnation, particularly from gay rights groups Sexualities, Women and Genders (SWAG) and Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana.
In a statement on Thursday, the groups said while they respect religious freedom, “Mohamed’s comments are divisive and discriminatory towards lesbian and bisexual people, in particular, who are followers of Islam.”
“His remarks came at a time when religious observances of Ramadan, Lent and Vasant Panchami intersected – a timely season to share a message of inclusion and respect for diversity in all its forms. Guyana’s diversity includes lesbians and bisexual people,” the organisations stated.
In the statement, SWAG’s co-chair Savannah Williams said that “there are lesbians and bisexual people who are devout Muslims, whether Mr Mohamed likes it or not.” She added that “it’s not Mohamed’s place to judge any Muslim or worshipper – he is not God or Allah.”
SASOD Guyana’s Chairperson Mishka Puran expressed that “Mr Mohamed’s first public remarks on LGBTQIA+ issues were a missed opportunity to share a message of unity, togetherness, compassion and respect when Guyana and the world need it.”
The organisations also called on Mohamed to fulfil his constitutional obligations as the Leader of the Opposition.
SASOD Guyana’s Managing Director Joel Simpson explained that Mohamed’s comments in the masjid seem at odds with his party’s position as articulated by their General Secretary Odessa Primus at the LGBTQIA+ Elections Town Hall, which was held on July 29, 2025.
At that forum, Primus indicated her party’s support for the necessary law reforms and championed public education to improve social attitudes to LGBTQIA+ people in Guyana.
“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 questioned. “Mr Mohamed cannot separate his personal, religious views on policy issues from his role as the Leader of the Opposition,” Simpson added.
Additionally, Puran said Mohamed must 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, gender identity and gender expression.
SWAG and SASOD Guyana said they are committed to constructive dialogue and publicly call on Mohamed and WIN’s leadership to engage both groups on how his office and party can support the public education and law reform that they advocated for at the 2025 Elections Town Hall.
“Electoral promises must be delivered,” the organisations said.

Bandwagon of intolerance
Mohamed also faced criticisms over his remarks from Government Ministers Susan Rodrigues and Priya Manickchand.
In fact, Rodrigues – a member of the LGBTQIA+ community – represented the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) at the very town hall alongside WIN’s Primus and other political representatives. She reminded us that “all of us condemned discrimination based on sexual orientation and expressed views in support of the gay community, acknowledging equal access to education, healthcare, work and protection under the law. Was the position expressed by WIN on that panel one of convenience because of the impending elections? Has that position changed? Are we no longer equal?”
Rodrigues added that Mohamed’s position is of no surprise, since she has personally been attacked by his supporters based on her sexual orientation.
“He has encouraged his supporters and paid actors to relentlessly attack my personal life. I visited the Ramadan village, and they attacked. I went to church, and they attacked. My personal life is not a weakness, and I have never used it to play the victim. I am a proud gay person, serving in the cabinet of our country and supported by my party. When we say we govern for all the people of Guyana, we mean ALL the people of Guyana,” the Minister added.
Similarly, Manickchand has expressed, “Leading a bandwagon of intolerance for anyone based on their religion or sexual orientation or ethnicity or gender or for any other bigoted view ought to be something eschewed by political parties and their leadership. Imagine my shock, therefore, when I heard the WIN party leader shunning lesbians and asking for them to be disinvited from places of worship. Places of worship should be safe havens for all, not so.”
Minister Manickchand also questioned what the response from wider civil society would have been had such remarks been uttered by a member of the PPP. “Imagine if a PPP leader had done that. If indeed you think being a member of the LGBTQ community is a sin, then I ask, what/who are houses of worship for? Sinners or the righteous? And who really is righteous?”