History is full of people who went to prison or were burned at the stake for proclaiming their ideas. Society has always defended itself.

If we reject science, we reject the common man.

We used the Western style to express our own themes and stories. But don't forget that our heritage includes The Thousand and One Nights.

I was suffering from a peculiar and persistent sense that I was being pursued, and also the conviction that under the political order of the times, our lives had no meaning.

The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will consider Arab literature also. We deserve that recognition.

I love Sufism as I love beautiful poetry, but it is not the answer. Sufism is like a mirage in the desert. It says to you, come and sit, relax and enjoy yourself for a while.

Home is not where you were born; home is where all your attempts to escape cease.