Religious scholars and clerics: holding elections on time is a duty that expresses the independent Syrian will

A number of Islamic and Christian scholars and clerics emphasized that holding the presidential elections on the twenty-sixth of next May is a decision that concerns the Syrian people only. They called for participation in the elections  as a duty and as emphasis on the Syrians ’adherence to their sovereignty and their national decision.

Bishop Jihad Battah, Archbishop of Damascus for the Syriac Catholics, stated in a statement to SANA that the presidential elections are an internal affair that no country has the right to impose its will on the Syrians, stressing that the Syrians’ awareness and belonging to their homeland will motivate them to participate in these elections and make a success of them.

Battah expressed his confidence in the ability of the Syrians to conduct elections, noting that the Syrian people have the right to choose the person they want to lead the country. He noted that the citizens’ solidarity to make a success of these elections  will give a lesson to the world that Syria is good and that its people will remain united.

Dr. Muhammad Sharif al-Sawaf, General Supervisor of the Sheikh Ahmed Kaftaro Complex affiliated to the University of the Levant for Islamic Sciences, said that conducting the constitutional elections on time is evidence that Syria adheres to its sovereignty and legitimacy that stems from the will of its people and rejects external dictates. He added that Syria is recovering and achieving successive victories, and the constitutional elections are a new victory Syrians will live.

Dr. Sawwaf pointed out that it is the duty of everyone in Syria to be active in these elections and to participate in them to determine their choice and vision for the future of their country, indicating that the conducting of the constitutional elections on time is a realization of the independent Syrian will and the fruit of its victories.

In his turn, the Patriarchal Attorney General in Damascus for the Roman Melkite Catholics, Archbishop Nicolas Anteba, pointed out that keenness on the country’s interest requires participation of all in the upcoming presidential elections. The values of citizenship and belonging necessitate going to the ballot boxes and choose the best candidate, he added, asserting that the success of the constitutional elections will prove to the world that the Syrians are able to run the affairs of their country by themselves without outside interference.

The preacher of Al-Razi mosque in the Baramkeh region, Moamen Adi, said that participating in the elections is a legitimate duty because it serves the interest of Syria and its people. The Syrians must choose the person in which they see the safety valve for their country, he added, stressing that scholars and clerics will participate in the elections because they know how important it is to the state and the Syrian people.

Inas Abdulkareem