Atlas Network is pleased to announce that Ideas Beyond Borders (IBB) is the winner of our 2023 Middle East & North Africa Liberty Award. The prize officially honors IBB’s “Bayt al Hikma 2.0” (BAH 2.0), or “House of Wisdom 2.0,” its flagship translation and original content program that is devoted to promoting a regionally-inspired Enlightenment.
In 2018, IBB launched BAH 2.0, which is now the largest multimedia content platform of its kind in the greater Middle East, producing thousands of original videos, translated articles, and books each year. IBB’s regionally-based team of translators, editors, and producers has translated and created more Enlightenment information in Arabic than any other organization in the world. All of the content is free and its reach is massive: In 2021, IBB’s content was viewed more than 100 million times, and it reached 250 million people in 2022.
In just four years, BAH 2.0 has gone from publishing a modest 416 articles to surpassing 113 million Facebook engagements, including over one million likes. IBB’s content has now become an essential source of knowledge in the Middle East and around the world, with Facebook videos receiving more than 109 million three-second views and its YouTube channel viewed over 372,000 times in 2022. One of IBB’s most popular projects was its translation of Steven Pinker’s book "Rationality" into Arabic , serving as a unique conversation starter for Middle Eastern audiences and fostering valuable debates.
The Middle East & North Africa Liberty Award is part of the “Templeton Freedom Award” prize program sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust—named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The program also sponsors awards in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Its grand prize, the Templeton Freedom Award, is presented annually at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City. In 2023, the prize program will award $270,000 in grants to high-achieving organizations that make innovative contributions to economic freedom and human progress.
“Atlas Network couldn’t be happier to celebrate Ideas Beyond Borders, whose ‘Bayt al Hikma 2.0’ program has reached many millions of people and reintroduced pro-liberty ideas into intellectual discourse across the Middle East,” said Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips. “Through original videos, translated articles, books, and more, IBB is taking thought leadership to a whole new level, proving that content is the key to changing hearts and minds. In a world where content is indeed king, organizations like IBB are making a compelling case for liberty to improve the lives of all human beings—in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.”
