--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a public dialogue with Salman in…" description: "\"In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossesse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg" --- # In a public dialogue with Salman in London he \[Edward… ![“In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg) > “In a public dialogue with Salman in London he \[Edward Said\] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the paradox of Palestinians being victims of those who themselves were victims, emphasizing layered suffering and moral complexity. **In simple terms:** Palestinians are victims of victims, creating deep moral paradox. Key Takeaway Recognize layered oppression in conflicts. Themes conflict victimhood history morality identity Mood reflective somber Type analytical critical When to use this quote - human rights advocacy - peace negotiations - educational curricula - media analysis Key Concepts postcolonial theory ethical paradox historical trauma Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling victims of victims affect empathy? - Can moral paradoxes be resolved in policy? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex political realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Described Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/described-palestinian-1632498/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Dialogue Salman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue-salman-1632499/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edward-said-841106/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian/) [Palestinian Plight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian-plight-1632500/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plight/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Described](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-described-1632501/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [“Inevitably came the time when he angrily repudiated his former paladin Yasser Arafat. In fact, he described him to me as 'the Palestinian blend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/inevitably-came-the-time-when-he-angrily-repudiated-his-former/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It was at a conference in Cyprus in 1976, where the theme was the rights of small nations, that I first met Edward Said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-at-a-conference-in-cyprus-in-1976-where-the-theme-was-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I was to grow used to hearing, around New York, the annoying way in which people would say: 'Edward Said, such a suave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-was-to-grow-used-to-hearing-around-new-york-the-annoying-way-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I resolutely refuse to believe that the state of Edward's health had anything to do with this, and I don't say this only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-resolutely-refuse-to-believe-that-the-state-of-edward-s-health-had/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Edward," I said, managing to speak more clearly with a little effort, "there's no point to forever without you. I wouldn't want one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-meyers/edward-i-said-managing-to-speak-more-clearly-with-a-little-effort/) [Stephanie Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-meyers/) > [Edward Said is a very honorable representative of the "intellectual" in the sense of the term that he defines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/edward-said-is-a-very-honorable-representative-of-the-intellectual-in/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ Intellectuals (in the standard sense of the term, not \[ Edward\] Said's prescriptive sense) are the people who write history. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/intellectuals-in-the-standard-sense-of-the-term-not-edward-said-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The heart of a woman falls back with the night, / And enters some alien cage in its plight, / And tries to forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-douglas-johnson/the-heart-of-a-woman-falls-back-with-the-night-and-enters-some-alien/) [Georgia Douglas Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-douglas-johnson/) > [The East and the West in the spring of the world shall blend / As a man and a woman that plight / Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hovey/the-east-and-the-west-in-the-spring-of-the-world-shall-blend-as-a-man/) [Richard Hovey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hovey/) > [Those who suffer from the abuse of drugs have themselves to blame for it. This does not mean that society is absolved from active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/those-who-suffer-from-the-abuse-of-drugs-have-themselves-to-blame-for/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [New vows to plight, and plighted vows to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/new-vows-to-plight-and-plighted-vows-to-break/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Empathy for the plight of the Goddess may be essential in seeing how to face our own plight on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lamb-lash/empathy-for-the-plight-of-the-goddess-may-be-essential-in-seeing-how/) [John Lamb Lash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lamb-lash/) > [To be robbed and betrayed by a fiendish underground conspiracy, or by the earthly agents of Satan, is at least a romantic sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/to-be-robbed-and-betrayed-by-a-fiendish-underground-conspiracy-or-by/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [I have little space from the suffering of elephants right now. I wake up with it and go to sleep with it. The plight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-bauer-van-straten/i-have-little-space-from-the-suffering-of-elephants-right-now-i-wake/) [Kristin Bauer van Straten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-bauer-van-straten/) > [Through my work with PETA, I have learned a great deal about chimpanzee behavior and the plight of chimpanzees imprisoned in laboratories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/through-my-work-with-peta-i-have-learned-a-great-deal-about/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-london-he-edward-said-had-once/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-london-he-edward-said-had-once/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/christopher-hitchens-117_atheism_in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-lond_1754125.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one…” — Christopher Hitchens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In a public dialogue with Salman...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-london-he-edward-said-had-once/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-a-public-dialogue-with-salman-in-london-he-edward-said-had-once/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```