Jamal Khashoggi

Criticism of the Middle East should not be directed only at Saudi Arabia. Human rights abuses are happening throughout the Arab world.

I don't want to be a dissident. But in the same time, I don't want to go back home and be silent again.

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

I have left my home, my family, and my job, and I am raising my voice. To do otherwise would betray those who languish in prison. I can speak when so many cannot.

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 Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices.

The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power.