To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing different programmes can make a bid for power.

I belong to a specific category of writers, those who speak and write in a language different from that of their parents.

Religion has to stay in the heart, not in politics. It is private.

We do not have many intellectuals who can speak out for us internationally. We have no writers who are recognized, respected and loved outside the Arab world.

A modern civilization is only possible when it is accepted that singular beings exist and express themselves freely.

Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every day, but they're knocking on doors that are not open.

Intellectuals try to keep going. But their situation is very difficult. Those who have had the courage to voice their opposition have often paid a very high price.