Esra'a Al-Shafei is a Bahraini civil rights activist, blogger, and the founder and executive director of Mideast Youth and its related projects. Al-Shafei is a senior TED Global Fellow,[1] an Echoing Green fellow,[2] and has been referred to by CNN reporter George Webster as "An outspoken defendant of free speech".[3] According to FastCompany, Al-Shafei is one of the 100 most creative people in business in 2011 [4]. And according to The Daily Beast, Al-Shafei is one of the 17 bravest bloggers worldwide [5]. Esra'a Al-Shafei is also a promoter of music as a means of social change.[3]
Al-Shafei is recipient of Berkman Award for Internet Innovation from Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School in 2008 for the outstanding contributions to the internet and its impact on society.[6]
In November 2011, Al-Shafei has received Monaco Media Award from Prince Albert II. In his remarks, Prince Albert called Al-Shafei a “trailblazer for human freedom, a true innovator and a real symbol of the Arab Spring.”[7]
Background
Esra'a Al-Shafei, according to her own account, recalls witnessing inhumane treatment of migrant workers as a child. This, along with stereotypical media portrayals of middle eastern youth, prompted her to begin blogging and found Mideast Youth.[8] Over time, the network expanded to include other civil rights issues within the middle east.
Education
Esra'a Al-Shafei attended Franklin College Switzerland, during which time she turned Leonardo Da Vinci Residence's common room into the command center for the FreeKareem campaign.
See also
References
External links
- Alliance for Kurdish Rights
- March 18 Movement
- Mideast Tunes
- Migrant Rights Project
- Postcards for Iran
- Project Ahwaa
- The Free Kareem Coalition
- The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights
- ↑ TED fellows directory. TEDGlobal 2009, abgerufen am 29. April 2011.
- ↑ Echoing Green fellows directory. Echoing Green 2009, abgerufen am 29. April 2011.
- ↑ a b George Webster: YouTube gives Bahraini youth window to world In: CNN, March 12, 2010. Abgerufen im 29 April 2011
- ↑ the 100 most creative people in business in 2011
- ↑ World's Bravest Bloggers
- ↑ Berkman Award for Internet Innovation for Mideast Youth in 2008.
- ↑ Bahrainian Blogger Wins Monaco Media Prize.
- ↑ Simon Columbus: Interview with Esra’a Al Shafei on freedom of expression in the Middle East, July 19, 2009. Abgerufen im April 28, 2011