Ammar Abdulhamid is a Syrian dissident, democracy activist, and blogger. He was born and raised in Syria, but completed his undergraduate studies in the United States. He returned to his home-country in September 1994 and lived there until he and his family were forced into exile on September 7, 2005 on account of his growing criticism of his country's president and his grassroots activism meant to improve inter-communal relations in the country. In the interim, Ammar authored a number of literary works in English, including a volume of poetry, "The Voidman," and a novel, "Menstruation," which was published in 2001 and has been translated into several languages since. In the period between June 2004 and March 2006, Ammar also served, respectively, as a visiting fellow and non-resident fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Currently, Ammar serves as the director of the Tharwa Foundation, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to improving relations between the different ethnic communities in the Broader Middle East and North Africa. The Foundation was established as a continuation of Ammar's earlier work in Syria.  Ammar received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin.