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

"The Arab world is not a monolith."

"It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in …"

"The intellectual is someone who cares about the truth, and not about his own career."

"The intellectual's role is to be a gadfly, to sting the conscience of society, to provoke thought and debate."