Iyad el-Baghdadi is a prominent Arab Spring intellectual, writer, and activist. Born & raised in the Arabian Gulf, he had over a decade's experience with start-ups when the Arab uprisings started in 2011. Over the next few years, his Twitter account became among the most influential - ultimately leading in 2014 to him being arrested, jailed, then expelled from the UAE due to his pro-democracy activism. Iyad is a Twitter power user and runs a highly impactful account. A strong communicator, his Twitter following includes highly influential politicians, journalists, activists, business leaders, and artists. Iyad is a self-described "Islamic libertarian", and writes on Islam & liberty, the Arab Spring, and Middle East & Arab world affairs; he also writes about radicalization, Jihadist ideology, and populism. His professional expertise is in start-up consultancy, project management, new media, and IT. He now lives & works out of Oslo, Norway.