Talking with Nasr Abu Zayd, the Egyptian philosopher and theologian, means confronting the difficult question of fundamentalism and dogmatism of the Muslim religion. His name has become the symbol of a humanist, or simply human, interpretation of the Koran. As such, it represents a problem for those who uphold strictly the divine nature of the sacred text. This has cost him dearly because in 1994 he was declared apostate, which changed his life. Although the University of Cairo subsequently reinstated him, Egyptian law annulled his marriage by an official divorce, which forced him and his wife to move to Europe, where since the 1990s he resumed teaching first in Leiden and later at Utrecht. We take the opportunity to interview him about the work he is undertaking on a new and comprehensive exegesis of the Koran in both English and Arabic, as well as the Arabic translation of the Koran Encyclopedia (six volumes).