Doha-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi yesterday urged all Arab and Islamic countries to support Egypt in holding a successful presidential election, the outcome of which would be a true reflection of the people’s will.

“The success of the Egyptian revolution should be seen as the success for all Arab and Muslim countries as Egypt is the shining star and the leading example,” Qaradawi said at his Friday sermon at Omar Ibn al-Khattab mosque.

“When Egypt succeeds, all Arab revolutions will succeed and their efforts for justice and right will succeed and Egypt will certainly win.”

He also called on Europe, America and all world countries to support the will of the Egyptian people “because their real interests are with the people, the free people, and not the subjugated people”.

“What happened in Egypt was a new independence. The country came to rule itself and decide its future according to the will of its people,” he said.

He explained that the 18-day revolution of Tahrir Square displayed the unity of Egyptians from different trends, inclinations and religions.

However, he said that people considered the recent ruling of the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court to dissolve the first truly elected lower house of the parliament and to establish Ahmed Shafiq as a presidential candidate as a “soft coup”.

He crticised Shafiq as the last remnant of the ousted regime of Mubarak.

“The Egyptian people would never permit anybody to steal their revolution,” he said, urging all Egyptians to go out and vote today and tomorrow for the right candidate and deprive the enemies of the revolution a chance to come again to power.

“I call on people, all people, to support Mohamed Mursi. The Egyptians are no longer to elect a military man. The military have ruled us for more than 60 years. People have suffered enough poverty, injustice, unemployment and detentions,” he stressed.

He called on political and religious powers in Egypt to unite behind Mursi and deny Shafiq any chance to take over, calling on Al-Azhar scholars to stand by the right.

He also asked the Copts of Egypt to abandon the “deceptive” candidates who used to accuse them falsely and do them injustice. He stressed that the Copts and Muslims in Egypt had enjoyed a long history of peaceful co-existence.

Qaradawi asked Egypt’s ruling Military Council to protect the revolution and help conduct a free and fair voting process.

He hoped that Mursi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, would remain true to his promises and in case he won the election, he would form a diversified government involving all powers in Egypt. The head of the government should not be from Mursi’s Freedom and Justice Party, he felt.

Qaradawi admitted that he used to support the presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh but because Futuh did not have a chance, he began to support Mursi. He also admitted that he had not met Mursi personally but saw him on the TV and liked his programme. Qaradawi described Mursi as an honest man and though he would be up to the expectations.

Regarding the escalating Syrian crisis, Qaradawi urged the whole world, including the United Nations, the Security Council, the Arab League, and the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation, to stand by the country’s people and help them end the oppression and killings they are experiencing daily at the hands of the army.