"The idea of a 'clash of civilizations' is a dangerous and misleading concept."

"The intellectual is someone who is always trying to make the world a better place, even if it is a losing battle."

"Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and (most of the time) 'the Occident.'"

"The intellectual must be an outsider, an exile, a marginal figure."

"The Middle East is a place where history is constantly being rewritten, where the past is always present, where the future is always uncertain."