Yasser Mustafa

“It takes a lot of courage to fight biases and oppressive regimes, but it takes even greater courage to admit ignorance and venture into the unknown. Secular education teaches us that if we don’t know something, we shouldn’t be afraid of acknowledging our ignorance and looking for new evidence. Even if we think we know something, we shouldn’t be afraid of doubting our opinions and checking ourselves again. Many people are afraid of the unknown, and want clear-cut answers for every question. Fear of the unknown can paralyse us more than any tyrant. People throughout history worried that unless we put all our faith in some set of absolute answers, human society will crumble. In fact, modern history has demonstrated that a society of courageous people willing to admit ignorance and raise difficult questions is usually not just more prosperous but also more peaceful than societies in which everyone must unquestioningly accept a single answer. People afraid of losing their truth tend to be more violent than people who are used to looking at the world from several different viewpoints. Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

“فليست العلمانية إنكاراً للأديان، وإنما هي إنكار لدور رجال الدين - بصفتهم رجال دين - في إدارة سياسة الدولة أو توجيهها”
― فرج فودة, الوفد والمستقبل

“ان وصف فكر لنفسه بأنه ديني ووصف قوي معينة - اجتماعية أو سياسية - لنفسها بصفة دينية أو اسلامية معناه نفي هاتين الصفتين عن غير هذه الجماعات أو هذه القوي. وليس تقبل هذه الأوصاف واستخدامها في وصف هذه القوي من جانب قوي اجتماعية أو سياسية أخري الا تكريساً لهذا النفي والحصر للصفتين. وليس هذا كله, في التحليل الاخير سوي تعميق لمفهوم الدين بقصره علي الشعائر والعبادات, في حين أن الدين مفهوم ثقافي عام يتجاوز حدود العقائد والشعائر”
― نصر حامد أبو زيد, مفهوم النص: دراسة في علوم القرآن

“Morality doesn’t mean ‘following divine commands’. It means ‘reducing suffering’. Hence in order to act morally, you don’t need to believe in any myth or story. You just need to develop a deep appreciation of suffering.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century