Voices From the Region: Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq

“Ghannouchi, assassin, criminal…Tunisia is free, terrorism out.” –Demonstrators against Tunisia’s ruling party Ennahda during Chorki Belaid’s funeral

“Morsi is an employee who works for us. He must do what suits us, and this needs to be made clear.” – Ahmed Mansour, a doctor

“Our enemies want a conflict between Islam and Islam. Ennahda wants to meet us, but their hands are tied by the government, because it obeys the orders of the West.” –Seif Allah Ibn Hussein, a fugitive Tunisian imam accused of planning an attack on the U.S. embassy last year

“We are a part of the soil of this nation. We are not a minority when it comes to value, history and the love of our nation.” –Egyptian’s Coptic Christian leader Pope Tawadros II on Tuesday

“You tell us we are troublesome, so let us get killed in Syria, leave us to meet our fate in this inferno…What they fear is that these youths will return like the ’Afghan Arabs’ did. They fear they would come back one day and declare jihad and fight here.” –Mohammed Shalabi, a Jordanian preacher better known as Abu Sayyaf speaking about Jordanian intelligence officers who asked him to restrain fighters set to travel to Syria

“We will protect Abu Risha, we do not need Maliki’s guards, for we are the ones who fought the terrorists when there was not a single police officer or soldier in Anbar province.” –Adnan al-Alwani, an Anbar tribal leader, on protecting the Abu Risha, the head of the Iraqi Awakening Council after Iraqi prime minister withdrew his security detail

“There is only two months or less left before holding the parliamentary elections. Then there will be a true national salvation government that reflects the street…” –Egyptian presidential spokesman Yasser Ali in response to calls for a national salvation government  

“The Salvation Front intends to destroy the country in a struggle for power.” –Farid Ismail, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party’s executive bureau in Egypt