Prominent religious scholar Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, who was tapped to be running-mate in incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s bid for re-election, has called on other scholars to support him.

Shaheem said this at a ruling party campaign event held on Friday night, where he said President Yameen’s family ‘has greatly served Islam in the Maldives’.

In this regard, Shaheem said that they have allowed for greater learning of the Arabic language in the Maldives and President Yameen himself has inaugurated doctoral courses in the language.

Further, Shaheem said that Maldivians do not want a leader who has ties to ‘anti-Islamic governments’ -likely a jab at the Joint Opposition, which supports the international chorus of concern over the backtracking of democratic gains in the Maldives.

The former Islamic Minister also said that President Yameen has the full ‘competence and energy’ to guarantee progress for the country.