Esra'a Al Shafei

I want to nominate Esrah'a Al Shafei because she is a very inspiring young woman who follows her heart, thinks global without boundaries.

Esra'a Al Shafei is the founder and Executive Director of MideastYouth.com, an award-winning independent interfaith network whose mission is to inspire and provide young people with the freedom and opportunity of expression. Her advocacy on the internet bridges seemingly impenetrable barriers of faith and geography to unite young people committed to fostering constructive discourse in the Middle East. She is also the director of a series of international campaigns for rights for ethnic, religious, and intellectual minorities, and for freedom of expression. Among those she runs is the influential global campaign to FreeKareem.org. She is a recent recipient of the Berkman Award from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society for her "outstanding contributions to the internet and its impact on society." She is 22 years old and is based in Bahrain.