Semarang – Around 300 ulema from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, will gather in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday to draw up election recommendations for the government.

The ulema are concerned about "disruptions" in the preparations for the April legislative elections, senior NU cleric Mahfud Ridwan said in a press statement Thursday.

He said another problem was confusion among Muslim voters over conflicting stances taken by their leaders regarding the 2009 elections. One group, led by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, has called for a boycott of the elections while another faction has declared that failing to vote is haram, or forbidden by Islam.

"This situation – if allowed to continue – will increase public apathy and could threaten the success of the elections," Mahfud said.

The meeting aims to reach a "final stance" for the NU about the upcoming elections and issue recommendations on this issue to the government.

The one-day meeting, to be held at the Edi Mancoro Islamic boarding school in Semarang, will be attended by 300 clerics from across Indonesia.