7 News Belize

Nuri’s Insight Into Gang Culture
posted (February 26, 2016)
Most people know him as the talk show co-host of Krem Television's morning show WUB, and if you have been following him even before that you'd know he also used to host the morning show at Love Television. But not everyone knows Nuri Muhammad for his intimate involvement in Youth Development in Belize. In 1993 he was the First Director of the Youth Department. From then he went on to take up several other posts in the youth development sector. His wealth of knowledge and experience working with at risk youths inspired him to write his latest book. This one is entitled "Insight into Gang Culture in Belize." We spoke to him at the Leo Bradley Library today during launch of his new book.

Nuri Muhammed, Author
"The book is called "Insights" and I think the word indicates that it is a reflective look at the challenge that we face with youth crime and violence in this country. We tried to look at it over a spectrum of 25 to 30 yrs. so that we could see its generational issue as oppose to simply reporting it as various incidents that take place on a nightly and weekly basis. So the book is called "Insights into Gang Culture." Again, culture is an important aspect of looking at it because if we look at crime and violence simply as various incidents then it remains just a front page story or a nightly story on the news, but we look at it as a culture it then requires us to start looking at the depth of what is creating that nightly news and there is depth to it when we take the cultural approach."

Emanuel Pech
"What do you hope the insight will achieve? Do you hope that it will inspire recommendations or solutions to problems we have here in Belize?"

Nuri Muhammed, Author
"Emanuel, I think clearly what we see from my perspective is that we are not learning the lessons of what we have done before and we continue to approach the problem as though it is a new problem and clearly it is a problem that is reoccurring and so what we hope that this book will encourage is this research based approach and also that we do some continuation of programs as oppose to what appears to be a starting over every couple of years to solve the exact same problems."

Glenn Tillet - Book Reader
"It is not a salacious reading. It's not something that you will read for its sensation. You must read it for its wisdom and the consideration that it brings. If we are to have a better society, we need to be able to consider, understand, discuss and even debate some of what he's putting forward in his book."

Emanuel Pech
"What are some of the root problems of gang violence in the country as described by the book?"

Glenn Tillet - Book Reader
"I'm will say just read the book because it will take I think most people a brief period of time to read to contemplate, to consider it to look at the problems from Mr. Muhammed's perspectives and then to start come to conclusion that, yes this is a problem that require all of us to first of all be better citizens, to be more compassionate, to be more understanding and most of all to be good parents and stewards of this society."

During his remarks at the book launch today Nuri cited politics as one of the main problems hindering youth development in the country. He also said that Junie Balls, one of the most notorious names in Belize gang history, was one of his main inspirations in writing his book. This piece is available in all book outlets in Belize and in Belmopan at a retail price of $30 dollars. Nuri Mohammed says that he hopes the book could be one day introduced into the school curriculum in Belize.

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