I'm amazed at statements made by the British Ambassador in Cairo, John Casson, who continues to lure Egyptians with charming tweets, ranging from ones about a soccer player to eating baked beans at the gates of the embassy that stifles Egyptians in its vicinity, alongside its US and Canadian neighbours. Those three embassies have changed the life of a Cairo district due to fear of a terrorist attack one like the one that targeted the life of a peaceful old cleric, unarmed except for the power of words and argument. Ali Gomaa, the former Mufti, was attacked by six gunmen and barely escaped the assassination attempt. Following that heinous act, the British ambassador expressed well wishes to the cleric, naming him as “a friend who supports us for peace, justice and the understanding of others and also against hatred advocates”. The reason I'm amazed is that his words coincide with a British government report that grants Muslim Brotherhood members the right to political asylum in the United Kingdom. Such a right is granted only to innocent people fearing reprisals of despotic regimes. Is this the stand of the United Kingdom? If so, London must announce it and let's end this act of “we support Egypt on the economic, political and security levels and we help it overcome terrorism”. Is London fearful of the revenge of extremists, who have nested in it, and accordingly is not taking a positive stand? I was personally fooled by Cameron's claims of supporting Egypt, especially when he sent one of his close aides as ambassador to Egypt. His replacement of another ambassador — whom some MPs admitted was misinforming the Foreign Office and accordingly the House towards the end of his term in Egypt — seemed to be positive. I had positive vibes when I chatted with Casson for a few minutes during the launch of a new British school in Egypt. In time, I found out how wrong I was about both Casson and Cameron, as demonstrated the day the Egyptian president arrived in London. He is the same ambassador who tried to prevent British MPs from visiting Sharm El-Sheikh while recently in Egypt, fearing the city — still described by the UK as a dangerous spot — may appear safe in the media. Casson wrongfully claims I have a stand against Britain, which I consider as the best tourist destination and the capital of European culture. He intentionally mixes between my position of rejecting any act that deliberately harms my country and my sympathy with a country when it suffered terrorism or when half of its population decided to exit the EU, and the problems that such decision may entail. Indeed, I said all of the above on my TV show, but I wanted to document my position, so as it may reach Prime Minister Theresa May. I would like her to know that some people in Egypt categorically reject the stands of Her Majesty's ambassador in Cairo as well as reports that seek to entice those who seek to murder scholars who seek to spread the true values of Islam. You yourself once said, “We know that Islam is a religion of peace and it has nothing to do with the ideology of our enemies.” Madam Prime Minister, those who uphold the message you defended are being murdered and you are offering the murderers asylum. You have spoken to the president of Egypt and promised to resolve the issue of British tourism in Sharm El-Sheikh, while the British ambassador refuses to even allow MPs to visit it — even for few hours — to make sure if his reporting is honest. It is high time that you prove your words through actions. Mr Ambassador John Casson, please convey my message honestly to the prime minister, for this is not just my opinion, but that of most Egyptians. Will you do it honestly? The writer is a TV presenter and CEO and founder at Mercury Communications.
