(CNN)  -- Esra'a al Shafei, a recent university graduate in Bahrain, is young, Muslim and frustrated. Young Muslims, pictured here in Afghanistan, are increasingly using technology to engage the world. The 23-year-old says the complexity of who she is as a Muslim is being distorted by extremists and the media coverage of them. Channeling her frustration, she started Mideastyouth.com, a Web site she describes as a place for young people in the region to "show a different side of our religion" and discuss topics big and small, taboo and not. She represents a generation of Muslims who are using technology to express themselves, connect with others, challenge traditional power structures and create an identity in an era when Islamic extremists often grab the headlines.
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The number of young Muslims using the Web is rising, experts say
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They're using it to express themselves and connect with others
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These tools also are providing a way to organize socially and politically
Al Shafei said she hopes that Web sites such as hers could help fight extremist @placeholder groups by defeating their arguments through cultural and religious dialogue.