Historically, Islam was hijacked about 20 or 30 years after the Prophet and interpreted in such a way that the ruler has absolute power and is accountable only to God. That, of course, was a very convenient interpretation for whoever was the ruler.
I still believe that any country understands that if they use nuclear weapons, they will be wiped out of existence. They could be irrational in many ways, but I don't think they're irrational to the point that they're ready to annihilate their own country.
When I go to Iran, I see... that there are all different shades and colors in Iran, from atheist to religious zealot. So Iran is no different than any other country. I mean, they are connected with the rest of the world.
Democracy is more than a ballot box.
America is always a good target for a populist. In many countries, particularly authoritarian systems, if you want to get an extra bonus, you bash the Americans.
It's up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world, including Egypt.
You need to form a grand coalition, and you need to put your ideological differences aside and work together to focus on people's basic needs. You can't eat sharia.
Threat is in the eye of the beholder.
Even with the best intentions, you can have a nuclear war, a nuclear holocaust, through miscalculation, through accidents.
I hear that from so many different governments, people coming to me and saying, 'You should be careful'. But I don't want to go around with bodyguards.
You in the West have been sold the idea that the only options in the Arab world are between authoritarian regimes and Islamic jihadists. That's obviously bogus.
I am an Egyptian Muslim, educated in Cairo and New York, and now living in Vienna. My wife and I have spent half our lives in the North, half in the South. And we have experienced first hand the unique nature of the human family and the common values we all share.
People talk about smart sanctions and crippling sanctions. I've never seen smart sanctions, and crippling sanctions cripple everyone, including innocent civilians, and make the government more popular.
People feel repressed by their own governments; they feel unfairly treated by the outside world; they wake up in the morning, and who do they see - they see people being shot and killed: all Muslims from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Darfur.
Egypt under Hosni Mubarak had deteriorated to the status of a failed state. We must wipe the slate clean and start again.
So, we need to delegitimize the nuclear weapon, and by de-legitimizing... meaning trying to develop a different system of security that does not depend on nuclear deterrence.
Israel claims it needs nuclear weapons as a deterrent against any threat to its existence. The Arab world in return feels that this is an imbalanced system; there is a sense of humiliation and impotence.
Barack Obama has injected fresh momentum into efforts - stalled for a decade - to bring about nuclear disarmament.
The Egyptians have grown in confidence, they've tasted freedom, and there's no way back.
As much as we Egyptians treasure our military, acting alone it cannot provide the legitimacy to lay the foundations for democracy.
