Muslims must speak out and explain who they are, what they believe in, what they stand for, what is the meaning of their life. They must have the courage to denounce what is said and done by certain Muslims in the name of their religion.
If you read the Qur’an with your head, you find repetition. If you read it with your heart, you find depth.
The more you look into and understand yourself, the less judgmental you become towards others.
We need modesty not only in the way we dress; we need intellectual modesty.
Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, but Arab culture is not the culture of Islam.
Instead of looking outside of ourselves and counting potential enemies, fasting summons us to turn our glance inward, and to take the measure of our greatest challenge: the self, the ego, in our own eyes and as others see us.
You can’t say ‘I don’t do politics,’ because silence is a political statement.
The philosophy of fasting calls upon us to know ourselves, to master ourselves, and to discipline ourselves the better to free ourselves. To fast is to identify our dependencies, and free ourselves from them.
You can’t be good to others if you’re not strict with yourself. The more shallow you are with yourself, the harsher you are with others. The more profound you are with yourself, the more generous you are with others.
Freedom of expression is not absolute. Countries have laws that define the framework for exercising this right and which, for instance, condemn racist language.
Humility is my table, respect is my garment, empathy is my food and curiosity is my drink. As for love, it has a thousand names and is by my side at every window.
When you’re overwhelmed by your emotion, you listen less and you judge more. This is also the reality of the dogmatic mind.
Islam doesn’t need reform, we need to reform the Muslim mind.
National politics and elections are dominated by emotions, by lack of self-confidence, by fear of the other, by insecurity, by infection of the body politic by the virus of victimhood.
You’re a man, but the day you raise your voice to your mother, you’re not anymore.
Discomfort levels in our societies are rising, or so it would seem. In theory, we invoke diversity and tolerance. But in real life, we raise our hackles and withdraw into ourselves.
When we begin to look around us, to observe individuals and societies, and to study philosophies and religions, we realize that our loneliness is shared. Our solitude is plural, and our singularity is the similarity between us.
Criticizing to destroy is easy, thinking in order to build is much more difficult to achieve.
A time will come when you’re going to be numerous but your impact in the world will be like nothing.
Your heart is the center of humility, your mind could be the source of arrogance.