Well this years worlds 500 most influential Muslims list is out which is done by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center of Jordan. The report is issued in cooperation with Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at George Town University in the United States. The list was first published in 2009 and since then it is published annually. The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center is an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought which is headquartered in Amman. The books chief editor, Abdallah Schleifer, who is a professor emeritus at the American University in Cairo in the book’s Introduction talks about the euphoric romance of the Tahrir Square, the Syrian uprising & the insurgency, the intervention in Libya, the Arab-Iranian cold war undergoing currently, the rise of Turkey, Muslim Brotherhood & Salafis and also about the Facebook generation, as how they have influenced the Muslim world. The editor tells us that more western Muslims have made into the list than expected but explains that the book is not about the Most Influential Muslims in the Muslim world only but Most Influential in the whole World so the Muslims residing in west have greater role in allaying the fears of any proverbial Clash of Civilizations for a peaceful Common World. It needs to be mentioned that American Muslims have dominated the list for the first time in four years since it began its publication. The book points out that it is to ascertain the influence some Muslims have on this community, or on behalf of the community. Further the book says that, ‘The influence can be of a religious scholar directly addressing Muslims and influencing their beliefs, ideas and behavior or it can be of a ruler shaping the socio-economic factors within which people live their lives, or of artists forming popular culture.’
The publication has selected Muslims from a range of categories of influence which are 13 in number. These are :-
- Scholarly
- Political
- Administration of Religious Affairs
- Preachers and Spiritual Guides
- Philanthropy/Charity and Development
- Social Issues
- Business
- Science and Technology
- Arts and Culture
- Qur’an Reciters
- Media, Celebrities
- Sports
- Radicals
Most of the top 50 slots are dominated by Political & Religious figures with all of top 10 being Political and Religious figures. The top position was maintained by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud who is holding this spot continuously for last 4 years due to the vast influence as proclaiming himself the Custodian of Holy cities of Mecca & Medina, being the controller of globes largest oil reserves & heading the worlds largest Daawa network promoting the Salafism. He is followed by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is numbered as second due to his charisma in driving his country to success. At 3rd position is Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, a descendant of Holy Prophet (SAW) and has been talked as someone who successfully blended reforms & evolution not a revolution for his country. Fourth place went to Dr Mohammed Badie, a veterinary pathologist, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood at present. At 5th place is Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani who is more known for the establishment of Al Jazeera Network. At 6th position is Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei & at 7th is King Of Jordan who is the custodian of Holy Sites in Jerasulem also. Sheikh Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb is numbered at 8. Indonesian president who is also a pop singer is numbered at 9 & Turkish spiritual preacher & thinker, Fatehullah Gullen, a follower of Said Nursi is listed at number 10. His Gullen Network has considerable influence in Turkish society which also run the Turkish newspapers, ‘Zaman’ & ‘Todays Zaman’ besides a bank & a TV & Radio Channel. Others in Top 50 include :
- Muhammad Morsi Isa Al-Ayyat
Egypt - Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id Aal Sa’id
Oman - Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein Sistani
Iraq - Sheikh Dr Ali Goma’a
Egypt - General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
United Arab Emirates - Sheikh Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi
Qatar - Amir Hajji Muhammad Abd Al Wahhab
Pakistan - H.E. Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Aal Al Sheikh
Saudi Arabia - Dr K.H. Said Aqil Siradj
Indonesia - Sheikh Salman Al Ouda
Saudi Arabia - H.E. Sheikha Munira Qubeysi
Syria - Sheikh as Sultan Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III
Nigeria - Sheikh Ahmad Tijani bin Ali Cisse
Senegal - President Abdullah Gül
Turkey - Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah
Brunei - Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Qaadiri Al Azhari
India - Sheikh Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan Al-Bouti
Syria - Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah
Lebanon - H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah
Mauritania - Mohammad bin Mohammad Al-Mansour
Yemen - Shah Karim Al Hussayni
France - Justice Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Pakistan - Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al Sabouni
Syria - Dr Amr Khaled
Egypt - President Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian Territories - Habib Umar bin Hafiz
Yemen - Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Jordan - Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned
Qatar - Professor Dr M Din Syamsuddin
Indonesia - Maulana Mahmood Madani
India - Habib Ali Zain Al Abideen Al Jifri
United Arab Emirates - Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson
United States of America - Professor Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
Turkey - Professor Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr
United States of America - Sheikh Mehmet Nazim Adil Al-Qubrusi Al-Haqqani
Cyprus - Sheikh Professor Dr Mustafa Ceric
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri
Saudi Arabia - Khaled Mashaal
Palestinian Territories - Dr Aref Ali Nayed
Libya - Timothy Winter (Sheikh Abdal-Hakim Murad)
United Kingdom
1. U.S. Foreign Policy in the Muslim World
2. Islamophobia
3. Circumcision Controversy – In Germany
4. Interfaith
5. Jerusalem
6. Palestinian Statehood
7. Gaza
8. Massacre of the Rohingya Muslims
9. Destruction of Sufi Shrines – In Libya, Mali & Egypt
10. The Fight for Al-Azhar – Between Traditionalists & Muslim Brotherhood
11. The Integral Chairs – The International Initiative for the Islamic Integral Professorial Chairs.
You Can Download the 2012 Book of Worlds 500 most Influential Muslims here below :