Esra’a Al-Shafei is a Bahraini civil rights activist, blogger, and the founder and executive director of Mideast Youth and its related projects, including CrowdVoice.org. Al-Shafei is a senior TED Fellow, an Echoing Green fellow, and has been referred to by CNN reporter George Webster as “An outspoken defender of free speech”. She has been featured in FastCompany as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” In 2011, The Daily Beast listed Al-Shafei as one of the 17 bravest bloggers worldwide. She is also a promoter of music as a means of social change, and founded Mideast Tunes, which is currently the largest platform for underground musicians in the Middle East and North Africa.