It was my pleasure to be in the reception of US congressman Darrell Issa in Cairo who is one of few American congressmen from an Arab origin (Lebanese).

My pleasure did not last long when he gave his speech stating that September 11 attack on America would not have happened if the US administration followed the method of the Egyptian government dealing with suspect terrorists! The Egyptian method with suspect terrorists is known to be very harsh, includes torture that was sometimes fatal, violates basic human rights and is often criticized by local and international human rights organizations. I am not really sure if he really believes in what he said or was just trying to complement the few Egyptian ministers and ambassadors attending the reception. Whatever the reason behind his statement was, it made me unwilling to be in his farewell.