Rashid al-Ghannushi

“There is no one in al-Nahda that is 'violence is a means of change or to keep power.' Everyone in al-Nahda believes that democracy is the only way to reach power and to stay in power.”

“Al-Nahda is a movement; it is not just a small party.”

“Tunisia will continue to be a source of influence, not through its size but through the ideas and the models that it represents.”

“I dream of a free, democratic, peaceful Tunisia, a country that can protect its developing identity.”

“No one in al-Nahda believes that jihad is a way to impose Islam on the world. But we believe that jihad is self-control, is social and political struggle, and even military jihad is only a way to defend oneself in the case of aggression.”

“I hope that with the success of the transition to democracy in Tunisia that we will export to Egypt a working democratic model.”

“Under Tunisian law, a woman can divorce her husband. Total equality.”

“I believe democracy will succeed in Tunisia, but I also believe that it will succeed in the other Arab Spring countries.”

“Just like in medicine, when the normal medicine no longer works, one resorts to surgery. And the revolutions is like the surgery: It's painful, and it's the last resort for nations.”

“There are common denominators that unite all members of al-Nahda: There is no one in al-Nahda who doubts about Islam There is no one in al-Nahda that believes in extremist views of Islam.”

“French laicite is probably aggressive and antagonistic to the religion, but there are other models of secularism in the world where there could be reconciliation between religion and secularism.”

“We in Tunisia have no problem with respecting other people's religion, and we have a long tradition of that.”

“In our modern age - in the age of free information - I don't think there is any place for dictatorships.”