"Sawt Al-Umma" is making an interview with the family of the businessman Hassan Malik

"Sawt Al-Umma", an Egyptian newspaper, is making an interview with the family of the businessman Hassan Malik.

This is the written text of the interview in which the family of the Ikhwani (a member of the Muslim Brotherhood) leader reveals the secret of the diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Turkey after arresting him and confiscating his property.

"They have taken my mother's safe because it contains jewelry worth of one million pounds" His daughter affirms.

Until 1992, the name of Hassan Malik was not known politically or by the media as one of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders. However, Malik was well-known as one of the most important businessmen working in the field of trade, and as a member of a family all of its members are known for investing in the industry of spinning and weaving

At the beginning of 1990s, Malik succeeded to enter computer industry to Egypt. He established the company of "Salsabeel", the same name of a lawsuit in which a group of the "Muslim Brotherhood" was accused in 1992 after both "Malik" and eng. "Khairat Al-Shatir" were arrested. Malik was put under provisional detention for a whole year then he was released. He started a new journey in the world of bartering furniture, establishing the companies of "Isteqbal" and "Sirar".

Hassan malik, according to his C.V., was born on 20th of August 1958. He graduated from the Faculty of Commerce in 1980, and started his commercial projects since 1983. Malik succeeded in attracting foreign and Turkish investments amounting to several million dollars. He is married to Mrs. Jihan Eliwah who begot him seven sons and daughters:
1 Mu`az: 22 years old, a graduate of Arab Academy for Science and Technology.
2 Khadija: 21 years old, a student at the final year at Ain Shams Faculty of Literature, department of Turkish.
3 `Umar: 21 years old, a student at Arab Academy for Science and Technology.
4 Hamza: 20 years old, a student at the same Academy.
5 Ahmed: 16 years old, a student at secondary school.
6 Anas: 12 years old
7 `Aisha: 10 years old.

The interview with the family of Hassan Malik was full of sadness as it recalled the memories of arrest and confiscation of their property. In addition, the interview was held at the same day that witnessed the supporting of the Criminal Court of Cairo to the Attorney General's decision of seizing the properties of 30 of the Ikhwani leaders remitted to the Military Court, preventing their wives and sons from disposing of it, and denying the resumption submitted by the detainees.

First, we asked Malik's family about the impact of this decision on them and how do they receive it?
"The decision was a big shock for us, because the money seized is ours. We did exert great efforts for more than 25 years to gather it. It is our money and our sons' too. However, I say that Allah is sufficient for us! He is the Best Disposer of affairs,'' said Mrs. Malik.

"The first thing my father said to us when they (the arrestors) broke through our house frightening us and seizing our money was, 'This is your money which I (Malik) had gathered lawfully; never give up even a pound'. Thus, we will never leave this money for them. We supplicate to Allah (Exalted be He) to make every millime they impound a curse upon them up to the Day of Judgment," said Khadija Malik, the daughter of Hassan Malik.

"Why did your father insist on telling you something like that in the front of the State Security officer?" we asked.

"To reinforce our willpower to face this affliction, the same as what happened with us after "Salsabeel" Case. At that time, we were younger and my mother, alone, had to overcome all these bad matters," she replied.

Khadija started to tell us the details of the night in which her father was detained. She and her brothers and sisters, except `Umar who was performing Hajj (Pilgrimage) with his mother after their father was prevented from traveling, witnessed that event. Khadija said: "Before telling the details of such a night, everyone shall know that one week before he was detained, my father had a meeting with Turkish businessmen and investors at the office of Rashid Mohamed Rashid, Minster of Industry and Trade, to arrange for a very big project. The project was to build a factory at 10th of October City to make furniture. It was expected to provide 1000 job opportunities. The Minister agreed on this project, assigning its land. The contract of this project was expected to be directly signed after my father's return from performing Hajj. But, it seems that the regime has already decided to eliminate the honest businessmen and impound their property. However, this is done at the expense of the national economy, even if this will lead to drive the foreign investments, estimated by billions, out of the country."

Khadija continued: "After my father was detained, it was natural to cancel the project and the Turkish investors withdrew their money for fear of being seized. The action negatively affected the commercial relations between Egypt and Turkey, showing Egypt to the world as a country where no investor may feel safe to invest his money. As a result of this action, we expected the Turkish government, protecting their investors' money inside and outside Turkey, to practice some pressures on the Egyptian government. We are still waiting for these pressures to result in releasing my father, regardless of the decision of impounding both of our wealth and the capitals of his companies in which a great portion of investors' money involved, the matter that may badly affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries."

"I read a piece of news, traced back to a top official, that there are 1800 Egyptians investing their money in Romania. This is clear evidence that the Egyptian economic atmosphere is no longer safe. Yet, some countries such as Romania has become very attracting to investments, while Egypt has taken the form of investment-expelling power," the mother interposed.

She added: "In spite of that, we will never leave our country. My husband refused to do this during the Case of 'Salsabeel' saying that this is our country and we deserve to live in it more than anyone else."

Umm Mu`az asked, "Who are the ones deserving to be detained and judged, those who drowned one thousand Egyptians through their ship, poisoned Egyptians' blood, and made their life full of cancer, or those honest men who brought billions of pounds to Egypt? The answer is known for everybody. But I want to cite a statement said to me by a prisoner's wife when I was visiting my husband at prison. She asked me about my husband's charge. I answered her saying, 'He is a political prisoner'. Then, she replied, "Thank God, my husband is a drug dealer".

Khadija started talking again to tell us the details of the night of detention saying, "We were surprised to find our father returning home at 6 pm telling us that he was prevented from traveling. We got worried, but he tried to relieve our worry. He said that it was just like when he was prevented from traveling after "Salsabeel" Case in 1992, where he had to get permission from the State Security before each time he would travel. At about 1:30 am, we were shocked by harsh knocks on the door. When my brother `Umar opened the door, they (the arrestors) stormed into the house pulling their weapons out. They entered my father's bedroom, then they put me and my brothers and sisters in the living room preventing us from moving until they finish searching the house. They found a safe in the bed room. Consequently, they asked my father to open it but he did not know the secret number. I told my father that I know it. Accordingly, the State Security officer "H.T" asked me to open it in order to make sure that it does not contain any secret planning documents related to the Muslim Brotherhood, as they claimed. They found nothing but my mother's jewelry estimated by about one million pounds, so I closed it. Regarding the safe content, three head officers had a discussion in the balcony deciding to capture it as a trust pending investigation."

Khadija continued resisting her tears, "They shot every part of the house during their search using a video camera, and a photographic camera. Also, they photographed me while opening the safe using the secret number. Thus, when we came to the session of opening trusts pending investigation 10 days ago, my father found that some buttons of the safe were broken and its electric circuit was not working."

"Your husband is facing an accusation of funding Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood), and having financial relations with some parties outside the country, what is your comment?" We asked Umm Mu`az.

"Did they introduce even a shred of evidence regarding that? Did they introduce one banknote which proves that Hassan Malik has relations with any foreign banks outside Egypt? My husband never borrowed a pound from any Egyptian Bank, how can they accuse him of such a charge. Our Case is a political one, everybody knows that. It is my husband reputation as a businessman that gained the trust of foreign investors especially the Turkish. My husband has no bank accounts outside Egypt," she replied.

Malik's daughter Khadija added: "All the charges are fabricated; they (State security) know that. Accordingly, if their investigations and reports are fabricated and bear not a single true information, so what should we expect from canned charges we got used to. I remember, for example, that some national newspaper published that Ahmed Ezzel-Din Malik, my uncle, was among the students accused in the actions happened at Al-Azhar University. However, my uncle is 36 years old, he spent most of his life in America, and he has just returned to Egypt in order to marry!!"

"What about the last Wednesday court session that you had been prevented from attending?" We asked.

"They prevented us from attending it, and surrounded women and children and deprived us from seeing our husbands before going into the court. Whereas, that person accused of spying for Israel was walking alone as if he was free. It even happened that we saw four Israelis meeting him after being allowed to speak with. What is the cause of this discrimination then; is the accusation of spying more honorable than the accusation of patriotism?!" Umm Mu`az answered.

At this time, `Aisha, daughter of Malik, entered. She said: "Dad never did anything wrong to be punished like that. We know that they are oppressors and have no feelings that they deprived us from our dad". Then, she cried in her mother's bosom.

Malik's son, Mu`az, said: "It has become very clear that the regime is trying to defame the Muslim Brotherhood by accusing them of fabricated charges. But the most saddening matter is to see that the businessmen who stole the money of people are free and enjoy what they have stolen, while the honorable are imprisoned and remitted to the Military Court.

"On the day of the court session, while we were invoking Allah to punish the oppressors, we were surprised to find the Central Security soldiers and some officers repeating the invocation with us saying Amen. This means that the truth is very clear," said Khadija.

Umm Mu`az said in conclusion: "I'm saying to the First Lady, Suzanne Mubarak, you have deprived my children of their father's affection, so where are the Child Rights you are advocating for?"

Interviewed by
Mohamed Ali Abu Himela

Translated By
MEDO MAGDY