In early Islam, it was an absolute tenet that the prophet was not to be worshipped. The prophet was a messenger. And one of the things that's happened in Islam is this cult of the prophet, which to my view is counter to the original tradition.

There is a widespread difficulty in the Muslim world, which has to do with how the people are taught about examining their own history. A whole range of stuff has been placed off limits.

There are two things in Indian history - one is the incredible optimism and potential of the place, and the other is the betrayal of that potential - for example, corruption. Those two strands intertwine through the whole of Indian history, and maybe not just Indian history.

You want all your books to stick around after you've gone.

Everybody loves 'The Wire,' and I think it's okay, but in the end it's just a police series.

Original thought, original artistic expression is by its very nature questioning, irreverent, iconoclastic.

One either loves, or waits for love, or banishes love for good. That is the full range of possible choices.