Naguib Mahfouz, AlAhram, March 2 Quotes

A collection of quotes by Naguib Mahfouz, AlAhram, March 2.

Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer and the first Arab to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. Born on December 11, 1911, in Cairo, Egypt, Mahfouz is known for his extensive body of work, which includes over 30 novels and more than 350 short stories. His writing primarily focused on depicting Egyptian society and exploring existentialist themes. Some of his notable works include "The Cairo Trilogy" and "Children of Gebelawi." Mahfouz's writings have had a profound impact on modern Arabic literature, earning him both critical acclaim and a large international readership. He passed away on August 30, 2006.

I have condemned Khomeini's fatwa to kill Salman Rushdie as a breach of international relations and as an assault on Islam as we know it in the era of apostasy. I believe that the wrong done by Khomeini towards Islam and the Muslims is no less than that done by the author himself. As regards freedom of expression, I have said that it must be considered sacred and that thought can only be corrected by counter-thought. During the debate, I supported the boycott of the book as a means of maintaining social peace, granted that such a decision would not be used as a pretext to constrain thought.

Naguib Mahfouz, AlAhram, March 2

Thought