Scholars urge religious-free campaign

Scholars urge religious-free campaign

JAKARTA: Political parties contesting the 2004 elections should avoid the use of religious symbols while campaigning to minimize the possibility of clashes among party supporters, scholars say.

Cecep Syarifuddin, a leader of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, said on Tuesday that elections were part of the democratic exercise, so political parties should uphold democratic values.

"The use of religious symbols to win the people's support would only increase the possibility of clashes among party supporters, which could lead to the disintegration of the nation," he said during a seminar on religious harmony ahead of the elections in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Syafi'i Maarif, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization, said clashes could be avoided if political leaders accepted the results of the elections. --Antara