“No idea is above scrutiny. No idea whatsoever. To criticize, to scrutinize and to satirize my own religion Islam is not Islamophobia.”

In prison I had the opportunity to debate and discuss people that had subscribed to all forms of Islamism.

It’s not always the case that Muslims have been theocrats.

There are no globalized, youth-led, grassroots social movements advocating for democratic culture across Muslim-majority societies. There is no equivalent of Al-Qaeda without the terrorism.

Preying on the grievances of disaffected young men is the bedrock of Islamism.

After much soul searching I was able to renounce my past Islamist ideology, challenging everything I was once prepared to die for.

Within our lifetime, we can remember a time when Islamism wasn’t the dominant form of discourse or the aim should be to minimise the absolutists within any religious community and contain them.

Ironically, xenophobic nationalists are utilizing the benefits of globalization.

Islamism is not Islam. Islamism is the politicisation of Islam, the desire to impose a version of this ancient faith over society.

Does freedom of speech give the right to offend?

When I returned to the United Kingdom, I found that I could no longer justify Islamist extremism as the antidote.

Amnesty International adopted me as a prisoner of conscience, and that led to my – it touched me in a way that really led to me opening up my heart, I’ve called it the re-humanisation process.

I can now say that the more I learnt about Islam, the more tolerant I became.

If we look at Abdel Nasser in Egypt as an Arab leader, he was secular.

We have to render Islamist extremism as unattractive as communism has become today.

No form of theocracy, whether it’s manifested in a violent or non-violent form, is ever good for civilisation, and we have to challenge it in civil society as well as we would challenge Christian-based theocracy, or any other form of bigotry.

I believe that preventing radicalisation is far more efficient than de-radicalisation, meaning stopping someone joining is a lot easier than trying to pull someone out once they’ve joined.

People react to criticism in different ways, and my way is definitely to come out fighting.

I release all criticism. I only give out that which I wish to receive in return. My love and acceptance of others is mirrored to me in every moment.

You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.

When you blame and criticize others, you are avoiding some truth about yourself.

Greatness occurs when your children love you, when your critics respect you and when you have peace of mind.

The more conscious I am of the work God has yet to do in me, the less critical I am about what he has yet to do in you

I’m the guy who reputedly denies that people experience colors or pains, and thinks that thermostats think — just ask my critics.