Quote by Abdelkebir Khatibi: “The stranger is always a mirror reflecting our own fears.”

This profound statement suggests that our reactions to outsiders often reveal more about us than about them. The qualities we project onto strangers are often hidden anxieties or biases within ourselves, showing how xenophobia is self-reflection.

As global migration increased in the late 20th century, Khatibi's philosophical work explored how societies construct 'otherness' and how these constructions are rooted in internal anxieties and cultural projections.

Moroccan sociologist, novelist, and philosopher who wrote in French and Arabic, developing the concept of 'bi-langue' — the creative tension of thinking and living between two languages. His 1971 autobiographical novel Love in Two Languages is his most celebrated literary work.