Intellectual modesty is humility as to what I know; intellectual humility is modesty as to what I do not know

Being Muslim has become synonymous with pointed questions, with tension and mistrust, even with conflict. It has become a global phenomenon with profound consequences for inter-communal relations, political rhetoric and policies at the local, regional, national and international level.

Populism is everywhere. We have religious populism in the Muslim-majority countries as much as we have populism in the United States of America.

It is only through the opposition of ideas that we can learn to be self-critical, to work towards intellectual humility.

There is a Sufi trend, a madhabi Sufi trend, and I don't have any problem with this. What is not acceptable is that, first, some scholars are trying to show to the audience that they are open to other trends. However, when it comes to the retreat or the panels, they don't want to be with some of us because they are scared of being exposed.

In my book, the Arab Awakening, I talk about the fact that we have to move from this. All the contemporary ideologies of political Islam have been based on the nation state. The nation state is very problematic but I'm not sure if we have an alternative political model.

Greek philosophy departs from the assumption that we can understand the world autonomously using our rational faculties. Islam is not saying this.