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."