"Voting does not mean you have to give your vote to someone," stated Elmenyawi, and that "our presence at the polling station is already half the work." He also stated that if someone knows that one candidate is better than another or that electing that candidate would be better than electing his/her opponent, "then it is Islamically obligatory on Muslims to reduce the harm, as advised by the Prophet Muhammad."

"We are not giving a proxy to someone to act on our behalf, we are actually trying to correct the choice of others to avoid having more harm, if we can," he stated.

In the memo Elmenyawi further stated that the position of MCM, as well as many other Muslim Organizations across Canada, is that there is no official endorsement for any party.

"Muslim-Canadians, in general, have to vote with their conscience," said Elmenyawi.

"We have proved our presence and made our point that the Muslim community is watching the politicians," he stated, and, as a result, "Muslims are an electoral force to be respected and engaged on a variety of issues."

"We will be voting for the best person and not the best party if it is possible. If the candidate's track record was not clear or, in the overall, similar to others in his/her riding, then we will give support to the one who belongs to the better party," Elmenyawi stated.

Elmenyawi cautioned that the best candidate should not be assessed on the bases of a few visits to local mosques, personal friendships or some favours that benefited a Mosque or a few individuals.

"These are important factors for giving our support, but it comes secondary to the bigger picture," he said.

"The best candidate is the one who benefits the Muslim Community at large and, in addition, benefits all Canadians."

Elmenyawi noted that Muslim organizations have been meeting repeatedly and communicating with various politicians before the election and with the candidates, after the announcement of the election, to find out their respective positions on a number of issues and attempt to have them to understand those issues which are important to the Muslim community so that they may change their position.

"There have been many such encounters, which were very fruitful for the community as politicians were able, in some instances for the first time, to hear and understand our concerns," he stated.