The proper implementation of Islamic law in Afghanistan will lead to lasting peace, presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf said on Monday at an event where he received endorsements from a number of religious scholars.
The Ulema members who expressed support for Sayyaf on Monday said that there was a dire need for greater promotion of and adherence to Islamic laws in order to resolve corruption and insecurity issues.
Speaking to the acrowd at the gathering, Sayyaf pledged to continue efforts to promote Islam's message in Afghanistan whether he wins or loses the elections. The Presidential hopeful is a well-respected religious scholars himself, having received his education at the revered Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt
"There is no corruption in Islam, Islam doesn't support insecurity, Islam promotes rule of law and economic growth, in the name of Islam, there a program against poverty," Sayyaf said.
"The election phenomena in fact emerges from Islam, it was man who brought changes to it and gave it other names, the fundamentals of elections are in Islam," he added.
Sayyaf has long been one the country's most vocal leaders when it comes to challenging the Taliban's claim to religious righteousness in its war against the Kabul government and its NATO supporters. The Taliban, meanwhile, has called the upcoming elections a sham and threatened voters with violence.
The other religious scholars at the event on Monday expressed support for the upcoming elections and encouraged Afghans to participate. They also said voters should make their choices without care for candidates' ethnicities.
"We have to move toward the election with Islamic teaching in mind, without considering candidates' ethnic backgrounds," religious scholar Enayatollah Baligh said.
Participants of the gathering advocated for a broader role for religious scholars in developing public awareness about the upcoming elections.
Source/Fuente: http://www.tolonews.com/elections2014/religious-scholars-endorse-sayyaf
