By Mohammad Baali
Albawaba.com - Cairo
A trial date has been set for Egyptian millionaire Assayed Rajab Swairky, who is accused of illegal polygamy and forgery of official documents.
Swairky, who is reported to have connections to Islamic extremists, was referred to the criminal court last week on rape charges.
Swairky is also accused of illegal polygamy as one of his wives claimed he had five wives at one time, in violation of the Islamic law, or sharia, which allows a Muslim adult male to mary up to four wives.
However, Egyptian opposition figures believe there is more to the case than the formal charges.
Mohammed Faraj, a high-ranking member of the Assembly Party, says he has not ruled out the possibility of a political message behind the case.
“I think this message is connected with the preparations made by the Muslim Brotherhood for the professional associations elections, particularly the medical and engineering associations, as well as the local council elections due soon,” said Faraj, who excluded the possibility of a link between the case and the ongoing Shura Council elections.
Faraj said he had ruled out the Shura Council link because of the ruling Democratic Party’s unquestionable dominance at the polls.
“The message has another aspect, which is putting pressure on the Labor Party to break off its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood,” added Faraj. “This is because the government insists that it won’t solve the party’s problems and permit it to operate unless it cuts its ties with the Islamic group,” added Faraj.
On the other hand, a spokesman for the founders of the Islamist-based Centrist Party, Abul Ola Madi, denied that Swairky had ties with any Islamist organization, and distinguished between press accounts and government intentions.
Madi, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood who was expelled for helping to establish an openly Islamic party, said the press campaign had highlighted Swairky’s piety and long beard in order to take a swipe at Islamists in general.
However, concluded Madi, “I do not think that the Egyptian government wants to send a message to the Muslim Brotherhood by arresting this millionaire.”
A member of the Egyptian Communist Party Politburo, Ahmed Sharaf, described the matter as nothing more than competition between Egyptian capitalists, claiming that laws had been passed for the sake of certain businessmen.
“Therefore, we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole issue was fabricated for the interests of one of Swairky’s powerful competitors.” Albawaba.com
