JEDDAH, 18 April 2005 — Well-known religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad Musa Al-Shareef yesterday defended the action of religious scholars, including himself, in supporting certain candidates contesting the April 21 municipal elections.

Their public support to seven candidates had come under fire from a group of 21 other contestants.

In an interview with Al-Madinah newspaper, Sheikh Al-Shareef explained that he had recommended a number of people whom he knew and whose good qualities he was sure about. He said he recommended them because he believed that they had the ability to do the job if elected.

The sheikh was surprised that several candidates had denounced him because he had recommended a list of names.

According to the candidates who opposed the list, the sheikh should have got familiar with other candidates before recommending the seven names. He said, “It is impossible for me to look at the programs of more than 500 candidates and meet with them, so I could recommend the best.”

Regarding the question whether the list of seven implied that the rest of the candidates were unqualified, he said, “When I recommended some of the candidates, I did not say that the rest are bad or unqualified to do the job. This is a strange interpretation that I cannot understand. I know the candidates that I recommended on my list and I do not know the rest, which is the whole story.”

Asked if he would issue a statement in the newspapers withdrawing his recommendations, he said, “Some candidates threaten that if I do not do that, they would file a complaint against me with the authorities. I am very surprised because I think I am exercising my personal right. It is something that is concerning me because I have the right to recommend whoever I know. What are they complaining about?”

Arab News contacted a number of candidates, among them Essam Hamzah Basnawi, who is contesting the Makkah No.12 seat. “This list came out in Makkah too. We have some candidates who have been recommended by local sheikhs. As for those sheikhs, they should know that they violated the election rules of the country. How could these sheikhs help some candidates to form some sort of grouping and favor one group over another? This is totally unfair. The municipal council is for people with unique qualities. The sheikhs could commend their religion or their behavior. They should not commend their work because they do not know their work. God help us if the people on the list do reach the municipal council.”

Basnawi did not agree with what Al-Shareef said about not being able to study all the candidates in the fray. He said, “That is not a valid excuse. Could a judge make a decision without listening to witnesses? This is impossible and illegal. I never heard a judge saying, ‘I don’t have the time to listen to all these witnesses, therefore, execute the suspect.’

“These religious people should stay away from the municipal election. They should devote their time in increasing awareness among people or in mosques but not in the municipal council. They should let the candidates compete fairly without interference.”

He added, “I know that recommending people is a personal right. But recommending someone you know is unjust to the other people that you do not know. The sheikh should know that people whom he does not know may be better than people he knows.”