QUOTES

The only way we can challenge Islamism is to engage with one another. We need to make it as abhorrent as racism has become today. Only then will we stem the tide of angry young Muslims who turn to hate.

The rise of ISIS in Iraq is a wider threat to the stability of the Middle East and the West than many realise.

Non-violent extremism is essentially the increase of intolerant and bigoted demands made by groups seeking to dominate society.

I come from an immigrant family, but I know no other nationality apart from British.

Islam will be what Muslims make of it. And it is the sum total of the interpretation that Muslims give to it.

I was imprisoned in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, when Egypt's state security was rounding people up in unprecedented numbers.

Having our fundamental assumptions about life challenged is never a comfortable thing.

Rather than allowing jihadists to shut down debate, it must proliferate so much that they simply cannot kill us all.

In Bosnia, the case was there were white, blond-haired, blue-eyed Muslims who were being slaughtered and identified as Muslims. That really touched me.

America did not invade Iraq because Iraqis are Muslims. Oil, money, economic interests. Who knows? But it was not because Iraqis are Muslims.

My identity comprises of more than just my faith. I am a proud Muslim, but I am also a liberal, a Briton, a Pakistani, a Londoner, a father, a product of the globalised world who speaks English, Arabic and Urdu.

Societies should be judged by how they treat the weakest among them.

Language that is designed to dehumanize has consequences.

Muslim communities themselves, as they expect mainstream society to stand down racists, must do more to also stand down the Islamist extremists.

If liberalism is to mean anything at all, it is duty bound to support without hesitation the dissenting individual over the group, the heretic over the orthodox, innovation over stagnation, and free speech over offense.

Unity in faith is theocracy; unity in politics is fascism.

In an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.

Growing up, I was always playing with video games.

If you make money, what's it worth if you can't be with your family?

We live in the realm where all the metalheads and rock fans know us, but we're not giants like Linkin Park or Black Sabbath.

We just found that in 2016, if you announce a record, and it's coming out in three months, and you're just giving people breadcrumbs, it's the most boring, drawn-out experience.

We like to wait to a point where we have to get in there and write a record because we're just so built up.

We want metal to be dangerous again. How cool would that be?

If you're going to put out a record just to get a No. 1 and then forget about it after the first week, it's the tail wagging the dog: it doesn't make any sense.

One thing I loved when I was growing up, you maybe saw one review from a magazine like 'Rolling Stone,' but now there are 150 reviews before an album even comes out. There are so many opinions out there, but the only one that really matters is your own.

The world is changing, and the way we consume music is obviously changing. I was one of the biggest CD advocates you will find, but when Apple music and digital options came out, like for everyone else, it was more conducive to my lifestyle.

The metalcore has been left behind. It's not something that any of us find enjoyment in listening to, so it's obviously not the direction we would write songs in.

Personally, I just want to hear good songs.

We really like having songs where we think the arrangement is just as important as the melodies, even though they're typically not.

We write when the time comes, and we try to be exciting, and stuff that excites us usually makes the record.