There is a congratulatory culture in the Gulf. From birth onwards, there is a culture of giving people trophies as markers of achievement for making it through society. It's cementing allegiance to authority at a very young age.

The vast majority of women musicians function under singular names like 'Cher' 'Madonna'. They have to get married almost immediately to preserve their honour.

I still think you people need to be curious [in order to absorb the culture]. You need to search Uzbekistani pop music.

I was one of five out of 100 people who passed the test, which just proved to me how little Americans are taught geography.

I'm fascinated by evil queens. They're very alluring and repellent at the same time, and I'm into that dichotomy.

If you've ever seen album covers for Arab female pop stars, it looks like the designer was paid five dollars to make them, and the extreme femaleness is astounding.

The first question [American college kids] asked me was, 'What state is Kuwait in?' They thought Kuwait was in America.