Islam is based on naql (texts) and ‘aql (intellect). Some people just have the texts – we call them naql-heads.

Without discipline, Religion would be impossible

People have to be exposed to Muslims, just experience Muslims; talk to them. Reach out, read about Islam, try to find out about it.

I think that's deeply rooted in Muslim consciousness, the idea of not submitting to anything other than God. "You can abuse me, but you're not going to win me over. But if you treat me with respect and dignity, I'm going to fall in love with you. I'm going to sing your praises all over the world because you're powerful and you treated me with human dignity."

Knowledge is taken from breath, not lives in a book

My experience on this planet is that if you treat people with respect, they tend to treat you with respect.

Muslims have been an almost entirely benevolent force in the 20th century. They did not wreak the havoc the Western powers wreaked on the world. They have not come anywhere near to the environmental degradation that we've done to the planet. So I think Muslims need to be seen in the proper light. They're mostly decent, hardworking people, people with deep family values, and they want to live in peace.