Bernard Lewis

“Different groups in the [Middle East] drew two lessons from [return of the shah in Iran] - one, that Americans were willing…

— Bernard Lewis

The Cold War philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which prevented the former Soviet Union and the United States from using the…

— Bernard Lewis

You see in the Muslim traditions, it's very clear: maintaining law and consultation, not being arbitrary and oppressive. Consultation. And also in…

— Bernard Lewis

To accept the story of the Arab destruction of the library of Alexandria, one must explain how it is that so dramatic…

— Bernard Lewis

I know it is said repeatedly that I was in support of the American invasion in Iraq. It is simply not true.…

— Bernard Lewis

Certainly Tunisia was the first in Muslim world. It's been like that for a long time and women play an important part…

— Bernard Lewis

In the West nowadays, it's very common to talk about the Judeo- Christian tradition. It's a common term. The term is relatively…

— Bernard Lewis

When we talk about the Judeo-Christian or the Judeo-Muslim tradition, it's important to remember that we are speaking of a Jewish component…

— Bernard Lewis

In opposing we always talk about freedom in the Western world, Muslims always talk about justice. Very often we mean the same…

— Bernard Lewis

You see in Turkey, they had a remarkable success story in building up a democracy. I was in Istanbul for most of…

— Bernard Lewis

The word "democracy" is a Western word obviously. It doesn't exist in Arabic. Democratiya is a loan word. We in the Western…

— Bernard Lewis

In the Christian world, as you remember, Christianity is in the 21st century, Islam is in the 15th century. I don't mean…

— Bernard Lewis

It is difficult to generalize about Islam. To begin with, the word itself is commonly used with two related but distinct meanings,…

— Bernard Lewis

“Those who are unwilling to confront the past will be unable to understand the present and unfit to face the future.”

— Bernard Lewis

“ (Note: The following was written in 2003, before the full implication of US military commitment in Afghanistan and Iraq could be…

— Bernard Lewis

I think confronted with the modern world or with the rest of the world, I think people are becoming aware that the…

— Bernard Lewis

“At the moment, the general perception ... is that the United States is an unreliable friend and a harmless enemy.”

— Bernard Lewis

The general perception, in much of the Middle East, is that the United States is an unreliable friend and a harmless enemy.…

— Bernard Lewis

I think that the growing government control of the press is very clear. Turkey is still not a dictatorship, there is still…

— Bernard Lewis

I see encouraging signs of democracy developing in other places in the Middle East. In Tunisia, in Iraq, and now in Egypt.…

— Bernard Lewis

Muslims naturally saw Christendom as their arch rival. One point that is really important to bear in mind, particularly in addressing an…

— Bernard Lewis

I think the important point which I've been trying to get across is that Islam, from the very beginning, is strongly, clearly…

— Bernard Lewis

“wholly given up to villainy and debauchery, and ride the steed of perfidy and presumption, and dive into the sea of error…

— Bernard Lewis

In most of the countries in the Muslim world today, most of them are autocratic regimes that are unpopular if not detested…

— Bernard Lewis

The Jewish Talmud says that the righteous peoples have an equal place in paradise. The Christians and Muslims agree in rejecting that;…

— Bernard Lewis