The seventh annual issue of 'The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims', which was released by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), a Jordan-based Islamic research centre on Sunday, has put two Indians Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Qadiri Al-Azhari and Moulana Mahmood Madani among the top 50 influential Muslims of the world.
Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan is the leader of the Indian Barelwis and considered by his followers as the Grand Mufti of India. Moulana Madani is the leader and executive member of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Bollywood actor Amir Khan and Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman were among the top 500.
It has also named the president of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Lok Sabha member from Dhubri, Badruddin Ajmal, as one of the 'World's 500 Most Influential Muslims'.
The RISSC is an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought.
Some others who figure in the list of top 50 are Jordan’s King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Al-Azhar University’s Grand Imam Prof. Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, Egypt’s military ruler Abdel Fatteh Al-Sisi, Oman’s ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah.
Several other Indians have also been mentioned among the remaining 450 most influential Muslims of the world in the report.
They are; Dr. Zakir Naik, Alama Zia Al-Mustafa, Moulana Wahiduddin Khan, Rabey Hasani Nadvi, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Sheikh Abobacker Ahmed, Syed Ibrahimul Khaled Al-Bukhari, Moulana Sheikh Ali Noorid, Asaduddin Owaisi, Moulana Qamaruzaman Azmi, Arsad Madni, Syed Amin Mian Qadir, Bohra leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and Sheikh Shuab Thika.
Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference alliance Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Asaduddin Owaisi are the only two prominent Muslim politicians from India who figure in the list of remaining 450.
Bollywood actors Shabana Azmi and Amir Khan and music director and composer Allah-Rakha Rahman (A.R.Rahman) have also been mentioned as being influential Muslims of the world in the art and culture category.
In the obituary section, the report pays tribute to former President APJ Abdul Kalam after placing him in ‘science and technology’ category.
The RISSC survey says it focused on any person who has the power, be it spiritual, cultural, political, ideological, financial or otherwise to make a change that will have a significant impact-positive or negative- on the Muslim world.
The report is issued annually in cooperation with Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at George Town University in the United States.
The book starts with an overall top 50 influential Muslims list, and then surveys the remaining 450 most prominent Muslims in 15 categories, from politics to religion, media, arts, science and development, but without ranking.
This publication is part of an annual series that provides a window into the movers and shakers of the Muslim world.
It gives valuable insight into the different ways that Muslims impact the world and also shows the diversity of how people are living as Muslims today.