Blantyre - Five Muslim leaders have been arrested after leading 700 people in a march to Malawi President Bakili Muluzis Sanjika Palace to present him with a petition fiercely criticising him and calling him "a bad man", police said on Saturday.
The five were arrested when the arrived at the gates to the palace late on Friday, and charged with conduct likely to cause breach of peace, police said.
The leaders wanted to present Muluzi with what they called the "sheikhs' letter", a 15-page petition signed by 13 leaders from the Sunni Muslim supreme council of Malawi.
The letter marks the first-ever criticism of Muluzi, himself a Muslim, by Islamic leaders here.
In the letter to Muluzi, the leaders said it would be "sinful to sit and remain detached from the deteriorating social, economic and political situation in Malawi which is a direct result of the failures in your leadership and government".
The letter said Muslims have carefully studied the Muluzi administration, saying it was sad "you spend most of your time cheating the people of Malawi with false promises masquerading as the source and champion of democratic culture".
The sheikhs also attacked Muluzi over corruption, and called for his resignation from government.
"You, however, still remain in office despite the rampant corruption in your government, bribing and buying support for you to rule even beyond the constitutional requirements. This shows you are not a true democrat and a true Muslim. You are in fact a bad man," the letter said.
Willie Zingani, press secretary to Muluzi, said that the petition had reached the president but that he had not yet discussed its contents with the president.
The Muslim leaders also said the Muluzi administration was bent on eliminating opposition parties by denying them opportunities to use public institutions.
"Your party is busy politically corrupting some opposition leaders by bribing them and seducing them with money to join your party and denounce other political parties," they said.
"This does not create a healthy democratic environment but create a an atmosphere of barbarism."
The sheikhs said they did not consider Muluzi a true Muslim because he was not honest because proper Muslims always respect promises.
They also attacked Muluzi for meddling in Muslim affairs and diving the sects of Kadilia and Sukut.
Muluzi belongs to the Sukut sect. The sheikhs said Muluzi defends the Sukut sect, and accused him of interfering with Muslim affairs by forcing the two sects to unite and work together.
Muluzi has come under increasing condemnation for his bid to stand for third term after his constitutional two terms expire in 2004.
An estimated two million people in Malawi are Muslim, but some 80 percent of the population is Christian.
Both Protestant and Roman Catholic church leaders have also issued tough criticism of Muluzi in the last three months, particularly denouncing any moves by the president to secure a third term.
Church leaders have played a major role in shaping modern Malawi. In 1992, the bishops issued their first pastoral letter, which condemned human rights abuses as well as social and economic disparities under the regime of dictator Kamuzu Banda.
That letter was widely credited with generating human rights and democratic reforms in the country after three decades of oppressive rule. - Sapa-AFP