Fikra Forum: Online Engagement between the West and the Middle East

This article introduces Fikra Forum, an ongoing experiment in online engagement that attempts to help fill a serious gap in communication and mutual understanding in both the virtual and the real worlds. It offers a platform for activists, experts, and concerned citizens throughout the Middle East to share their ideas and experiences directly with an interested American audience—and with each other. The focus is on issues of democracy, reform, religious tolerance, and countering violent extremism in the region, all broadly defined.