Regional Voices: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia

“Their lives are worthless when it comes to the interests of Egypt and Egyptians…I am a president after a revolution, meaning that we can sacrifice a few so the country can move forward. It is absolutely no problem.” –Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi responding to violent clashes between members of the opposition and the Muslim Brotherhood

“Yesterday I was really surprised by the comment issued from the White House that it was not possible to increase the range of the Patriot missiles to protect the Syrian people…I’m scared that this will be a message to the Syrian regime telling it ’Do what you want’.” –Moaz Alkhatib, leader of the Syrian National Coalition, in an interview with Reuters

“Sometimes…a girl contributes 100 percent to her own raping when she puts herself in these conditions.” –Adel Abdel Maqsoud Afifi, an Egyptian police general, lawmaker and ultraconservative Islamist

“Homs is burning and no one cares.” –An unidentified Syrian activist

“All those you attacked in your interview in Al-Akhbar are more honorable than you, even Antoine Lahd because while he only collaborated with Israel, you served as an agent for Abu Ammar [Yasser Arafat] – the late head of the Palestinian Authority – as well as for ousted [late] Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and the Soviets and the U.S. and Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israel.” –Free Patriotic Movement representative Naji Hayek speaking about Progressive Social leader Walid Jumblatt

“The majority want a compromise…It’s impossible to bring things back under control as they were.” –Roaa Salem discussing the views of fellow students at Damascus University on the Syrian civil war

“I think they need a second revolution…We prefer not to choose from bourgeois political parties.” – Armazan Tulunay, a young revolutionary socialist at the World Social Forum at Manara University in Tunisa