Wikipedia

Esra'a Al Shafei

Esra'a Al Shafei(Arabic:إسراء الشافعي,’Asrā’ ash-Shāfa’ī,pronounced[ʔasraːʔaʃːafaʔiː];born 23 July 1986)[1]is a Bahraini civil rights activist,blogger,and the founder and executive director ofMajal(Mideast Youth) and its related projects, including CrowdVoice.org.[2]Al Shafei is a seniorTEDFellow,[3]an Echoing Green fellow,[4]and has been referred to byCNNreporter George Webster as "An outspoken defender of free speech".[5]She has been featured inFast Companymagazine as one of the "100 Most Creative People in Business."[6]In 2011,The Daily Beastlisted Al Shafei as one of the 17 bravest bloggers worldwide.[7]She is also a promoter of music as a means of social change,[5]and foundedMideast Tunes,which is currently the largest platform for underground musicians in the Middle East and North Africa.[8]

Esra'a Al Shafei
Illustrated avatar of Esra'a Al Shafei. It depicts a woman with long hair and glasses.
Avatar used by Al Shafei
Born(1986-07-23)23 July 1986(age 38)
NationalityBahraini
OrganizationMajal(Mideast Youth)
Websitemajal.orgEdit this at Wikidata

Al Shafei is a recipient of the Berkman Award for Internet Innovation fromBerkman Klein Center for Internet & SocietyatHarvard Law Schoolin 2008 for "outstanding contributions to the internet and its impact on society."[9]In 2012, she received aShuttleworth Foundation Fellowshipfor her work on the open source platform CrowdVoice.org.[10]She is also the recipient of the Monaco Media Prize, which acknowledges innovative uses of media for the betterment of humanity.[11]In 2014, she was featured inForbesmagazine's "30 Under 30" list of social entrepreneurs making an impact in the world.[12]TheWorld Economic Forumlisted her as one of "15 Women Changing the World in 2015."[13] That same year, she won the "Most Courageous Media" Prize[14]fromFree Press Unlimited.Al Shafei was selected as a 2017 Director's Fellow at theMIT Media Lab.[15]In 2018 she was listed as one ofBBC's 100 Women.[16]

Al Shafei was a keynote speaker atWikimania 2017.In December of the same year, she was appointed to theWikimedia FoundationBoard of Trustees.[17]In January 2023, she was appointed to the board ofThe Tor Project.[18]

Background

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Al Shafei (leftmost sitting) atWikimania2018, covering her face with a piece of paper

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 found the Mideast Youth network.[19]Over time, the network expanded to include other civil rights issues within the Middle East, and branched out to create a diverse range of platforms with a global reach.

We want our humanity and our futures in our own hands and we use the internet and other forms of technology to fight for those rights[19]

— Esra'a Al Shafei

In 2006, she startedbloggingwith WordPress.[20]She uses Twitter to communicate, but deletes her Tweets if they go viral.[21]

The consequences of attending a metal or rock event is a topic of discussion that's frequently raised on Mideast Youth.

It isn't just young people but professionals who don't want to put their jobs on the line who are worried. Women, in particular, express concern about harming their reputation.

A lot of times you'll find people secretly arranging to attend these groups.[22]

— Esra'a Al Shafei

Her music streaming site is a way for underground music to penetrate isolated markets, such asMENA.[23]Her sites can push information out to the masses that is not found in mainstream outlets.[24]Al Shafei has blogged forCNNand theHuffington Post.[25]

Esra’a doesn't show her face online[26] — using an illustration when engaging in video conferences and forbylines — because she has been threatened with violence in the past[26]and, as an activist in anon-freeauthoritarianregime,[27]it would put her and her family at risk if she were recognisable.[26][28]

References

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  1. ^"Human Rights Tulip 2014 goes to Mideast Youth".Human Rights Tulip.9 December 2014.
  2. ^"Archiving the world, one protest at a time".22 April 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 26 June 2014.Retrieved12 June2014.
  3. ^"TED fellows directory".TEDGlobal 2009.Retrieved29 April2011.
  4. ^"Echoing Green fellows directory".Echoing Green 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2010.Retrieved29 April2011.
  5. ^abGeorge Webster (12 March 2010)."YouTube gives Bahraini youth window to world".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2010.Retrieved29 April2011.
  6. ^"the 100 most creative people in business in 2011".Archivedfrom the original on 13 August 2017.
  7. ^"World's Bravest Bloggers".Archived fromthe originalon 18 November 2011.
  8. ^Chalfoun, Romeo."Mideast Tunes Hosts 1300 Underground Bands from the MENA".ArabNet.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2015.Retrieved11 October2015.
  9. ^Berkman Award for Internet Innovation for Mideast Youth in 2008Archived8 August 2014 at theWayback Machine.
  10. ^Shuttleworth Foundation FellowshipArchived27 October 2014 at theWayback Machine.
  11. ^Andy Plesser (11 November 2011)."Bahraini Blogger Wins Monaco Media Prize".Business Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2015.Retrieved18 August2015.
  12. ^William White (7 January 2014)."Who Topped the Forbes 30 Under 30 List?".InvestorPlace.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved18 August2015.
  13. ^Parker, Ceri."15 Women Changing the World in 2015".World Economic Forum.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2015.Retrieved10 October2015.
  14. ^Free Press Unlimited."Bahraini journalist Esra'a Al Shafei wins' Most Courageous Media Award 2015".Archivedfrom the original on 13 August 2017.
  15. ^MIT Media Lab (30 May 2017)."Media Lab announces 2017 Director's Fellows".Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2017.
  16. ^"BBC 100 Women 2018: Who is on the list?".BBC News.19 November 2018.Retrieved21 November2018.
  17. ^"Esra'a Al Shafei joins Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees".Wikimedia Foundation. 1 December 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2017.Retrieved1 December2017.
  18. ^Albert, Kendra (24 January 2023)."Announcing new board members".The Tor Project.Retrieved25 January2023.
  19. ^abSimon Columbus (19 July 2009)."Interview with Esra'a Al Shafei on freedom of expression in the Middle East".Gulli. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2011.Retrieved28 April2011.
  20. ^Hicks, Jennifer (3 February 2012)."Esra'a Al-Shafei Uses Blogs To Create A Voice For Those Without One".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on 5 January 2013.Retrieved29 November2017.
  21. ^Elgin, Benjamin; Robison, Peter (27 October 2016)."Why Your Tweets Are Incredibly Valuable—and Dangerous".Bloomberg Technology.Bloomberg.Archivedfrom the original on 16 November 2017.Retrieved29 November2017.
  22. ^Wong, Grace (12 March 2010)."Death metal rockers raise eyebrows in sedate Bahrain – CNN".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2013.Retrieved29 November2017.
  23. ^Holland, Jessica (27 October 2013)."Music of the Middle East: The website and app Mideast Tunes allows users to stream music from across the Mena region for free. Bands can now register for inclusion".The National.Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2017.Retrieved29 November2017.
  24. ^Davies, Catriona (15 September 2011)."The Middle East's leaders of the future?".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on 2 June 2015.Retrieved29 November2017.
  25. ^Al Shafei, Esra'a (24 August 2010)."Young Muslims must use social media to promote peace – CNN".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2011.Retrieved29 November2017.
  26. ^abcKirk, Danielle (8 April 2018)."Esra'a Al Shafei risks her own life to bring social justice in the Middle East".Six-Two.Retrieved14 August2021.
  27. ^"Bahrain".Freedom House.Archived fromthe originalon 23 October 2014.Retrieved13 October2014.
  28. ^"Esra'a Al Shafei, Founder & Director of Majal.org, Bahrain — 2018 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards Nominee".The Fem Word.10 October 2018.Retrieved14 August2021.
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