JAMAL KHASHOGGI

The virtual Saudi Arabia actually exists in its rules and in the minds of the people. For instance, in virtual Saudi Arabia there is no satellite television. In principle, and by law, you are not allowed to own a satellite dish. But in reality we are the biggest consumers of satellite television in the Middle East. Not only that, Saudi businessmen are also the biggest investors in satellites. In principle, and by law, Saudi Arabia is not supposed to have interest-based banking, but in fact ninety per cent of our banking system is interest-based. And it goes on and on. The solution for Saudi problems is to bring the virtual world and the real world together.

Yes, we do have extremists and fanatics, just like the rest of the world. Our first step should be to stop denying this fact. And our second step should be to confront these extremists. We must tell them that they are part of a system, and that they have to respect the voice of the majority…

The future of Saudi society will not be secure as long as it refuses to confront its own extremist elements.

Those who committed yesterday's crime, which will have a painful impact on the peaceful nature of our nation, are not only the suicide bombers, but also everyone who instigated or justified the attacks, everyone who called them mujahedeen, even everyone who ignored this irregular direction in our religion and nature, or tried to find excuses for it

The impulsivity of M. B. S. has been a consistent theme - from the war in Yemen to the wave of arrests of constructive critics, royals, and senior officials accused of corruption.

Women today should have the same rights as men. And all citizens should have the right to speak their minds without fear of imprisonment.

I just want to be a free writer. I think I am serving my country and my people by providing an independent narrative.

Saudi Arabia has historically attempted to influence politics in Beirut.

In 2003 and again in 2010, I was fired from my job as editor-in-chief of a 'progressive' paper, Al-Watan. During the years in between, I served as media adviser to Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to Britain and then the United States.

I would like to see evolution in my country, not revolution. It is much better for us to work together with the government to transform Saudi Arabia for the future.

The eradication of the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing less than an abolition of democracy and a guarantee that Arabs will continue living under authoritarian and corrupt regimes.

The United States should propose partition in Syria. Assad can keep what he controls, and the rebels can form local governments and establish a new entity.

One could imagine a day when empowered and experienced representatives of liberated areas will sit with the regime's representatives and work to negotiate to reunify a more democratic Syria.

I didn't see a woman drive until I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Tempe, Ariz., in 1976.

The condition that the Taliban part with al Qaeda is not just a condition, it is an objective. We must convince them that al Qaeda ideology and dogma will not help them.

I'm worried for a war to break out between Saudi Arabia and Iran, even though I rule it out.

I'm 60 years old, and I want to enjoy life, and I want to be free to speak for my country.

The expectation that 'Trump as president' will be starkly different from 'Trump as candidate' is a false hope at best.

Saudi Arabia needs friends. We are in a war in Yemen, in a confrontation with Iran, so we need friends like Canada, Europe.

That is what I want: I want a better Saudi Arabia. I don't see myself as an opposition. I'm not calling for the overthrow of the regime, because I know it's not possible and is too risky, and there is no one to overthrow the regime. I'm just calling for reform of the regime.

There is nothing remarkable about having media and foreign embassy contacts. When I lived in Saudi Arabia as a journalist, this was a regular occurrence.

Muslims around the world deserve to see birthplace of Islam represent the ethics of Islam.

As a Saudi journalist starting my career right after the oil boom of the 1970s, I witnessed the phenomenal growth and expansion of Saudi businesses and the pivotal role the leaders of these firms played in building the modern Saudi economy.

In 2004, Lawrence Wright wrote in the 'New Yorker' about 'The Kingdom of Silence,' where a massive sewer project in Jeddah was really a series of manhole covers across the city with no actual pipes underneath. I, as the editor of a major paper at the time, can say that we all knew - and we never reported on it.

Osama bin Laden's hijacked planes not only attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They also attacked Islam as a faith. They attacked the values of tolerance and coexistence that Islam preaches.