Why We Exist
Every project we undertake connects back to our core beliefs.

With courage and innovation, Majal addresses issues that receive little or no attention: From rights of the invisible lower income migrant workers, to the stigmatized Middle East LGBTQ community, to those seeking to express dissent through music.

CrowdVoice.org CrowdVoice.by Mideast Tunes Migrant Rights Ahwaa.org Making of a Century
CrowdVoice.org CrowdVoice.by Mideast Tunes Migrant Rights Ahwaa.org Making of a Century
Local action became
Founded in Bahrain in 2006, Majal began as Mideast Youth, serving marginalized populations in the Middle East and North Africa. After a decade of local impact, credibility, and creativity, the scope of our work now goes well beyond the region, and we still have much more to do.
learn about our future
A daring act
In Arabic and Farsi, Majal translates to "opportunity" or "to give way". In Hindi slang, it means daring or brave. When pronounced in Spanish, it’s “Mahal,” which in Tagalog means love. So in a word, Majal embodies what it is meant to be - a daring act of love that creates opportunities for people around the world.
visit our press room
A remote team that's pretty close.
With team members and initiatives throughout the Middle East, India, Mexico, and beyond, we’ve scaled our projects to a broader, more global audience and rebranded as Majal in 2015 to reflect a renewed transnational positioning.
Esra'a Al Shafei
Founder & Director

Esra’a Al Shafei
Founder & Director
Abir Ghattas
Outreach Director
Rima Kalush
Co-Director of Migrant-Rights.org
Vani Sarawathi
Associate Editor for Migrant-Rights.org
Weyam Ghadbian
Mideast Tunes Program Manager
Lubna Juqqa
Co-Host of Mideast Tunes Radio
Mona Kareem
Research & Arabic Editor at Migrant-Rights.org
Melissa Tyas
Senior Researcher at CrowdVoice.org
Julia Gómez
Researcher at CrowdVoice.org
Namita Malhorta
Researcher at CrowdVoice.org