1000 Lashes Quotes

“Any religion-based state has a mission to limit the minds of its people, to fight the developments of history and logic, and to dumb down its citizens. It’s important to stand in the way of such a mentality, to deny it from continuing its mission to murder the souls of its people, killing them deep within while they are still alive and breathing.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“...Society needs to open its collective mind to all ideas and ideologies. It needs to give its people the chance to listen to the opinions of others, and then examine them critically instead of rejecting them prematurely. Such a creative dialogue based on positive critical thinking can enhance and develop ideas.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“FREEDOM OF SPEECH is the air that any thinker breathes; it’s the fuel that ignites the fire of an intellectual’s thoughts.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“States that are built on a religious foundation limit their own people in a circle of faith and fear.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“To respect the opinions of those who stand against you is nothing short of courageous.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“For me, liberalism simply means, live and let live. This is a splendid slogan”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“Look at all the countries that are based on a religious ideology; look at their people and the generations born into it: What do they have to offer human civilization?”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“It’s a wonder of human behavior: we build our own handcuffs that trap and harm us. We create the myth, and we honor it. We tell the lie, and we believe it.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“My biggest fear is that the enlightened Arab thinkers are gong to leave the Arab world in search of fresh air: somewhere far away from the sword of the religious authorities.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“As a human being you have the right to express yourself. You have the right to journey wherever your mind wanders and to express the thoughts you come up with along the way. You have the right to believe, and to atone, the same way you have the right to love and to hate.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think

“Je ne suis pas pour l'occupation d’un pays arabe par Israël, mais, en revanche, je ne veux pas remplacer Israël par une nation islamique qui s’insta1lerait sur ses ruines, et dont le seul souci serait de promouvoir une culture de mort et d’ignorance parmi ses fidèles, à une époque où nous avons désespérément besoin de ceux qui en appellent à une culture de vie et de développement, propre à cultiver l’espoir dans nos âmes. Regardons tous les pays fondés sur la pensée religieuse, regardons leurs peuples et les générations qui y grandissent; qu’offrent-ils en termes d’humanité et d’humanisme? Rien, c’est certain, sinon la peur de Dieu et l'incapacité à affronter la vie; rien d’autre. De telles pensées ont formé et continuent de
former des générations inaptes à toute créativité, à toute culture, incapables même de s’inspirer des civilisations qui leur viennent d’ailleurs, puisqu’elles ne sont pas à même de construire la leur.”
― Raif Badawi, 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think