the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

POLITICAL
NIGERIA
yar’adua, his excellency president umaru musa
Yar’Adua is the president of Nigeria, a country with an estimated 74.6 million Muslims. He served
as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, where in 2000, during his
administration, Katsina became the fifth northern Nigerian state to adopt sharia (Islamic law). He
was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 2007. He is a
member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
ASIA
AFGHANISTAN
karzai, his excellency president hamid
Hamid Karzai was elected as president of Afghanistan for a full five-year term in September 2004,
becoming the first directly-elected president in the country’s history. Karzai has been able to build
up considerable support from the Afghans and under his presidency, Afghanistan’s economy has
been growing rapidly for the first time in many years. His administration does however suffer from
widespread allegations of corruption.
mojaddedi, his excellency sibghatullah
Mojaddedi served as the first president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan after the fall of the
communist regime in 1992, and is currently the president of the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House),
head of the Afghanistan National Independent Peace and Reconciliation Commission, for which
he is widely respected by pro- and anti-government parties, and is also the leader of the Afghan
National Liberation Front.
AZERBAIJAN
aliyev, his excellency president ilham
Aliyev is the current president of Azerbaijan and the chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party. Although
not outwardly religious, he is a Muslim and his advocacy of a moderate cultural Islam is representative
of the demands of the population of the country. Azerbaijan, with a population of approximately
7.5 million Muslims is an active member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
INDONESIA
wahid, his excellency abd al rahman (gus dur)
Wahid is a former president of Indonesia, the long time president of the 30 million strong Nahdlatul
Ulama Islamic social organization, and the founder of the National Awakening Party. He was a cleric
and social organizer before entering politics to become the first elected president of Indonesia after
the fall of Suharto. Significantly he has strong relations with the country’s military elite, developed
before taking office while working on interethnic relations. He is against the formation of an Islamic
state in Indonesia, which he believes would be problematic for national cohesion.
yudhoyono, his excellency president susilo bambang
Yudhoyono is the political leader of the most populous Muslim country in the world. He is the
president of the Republic of Indonesia. He was also a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006
for his success in peace-building efforts in Aceh. His political party, the Democratic Party, is the
winner of the recent April 2009 general election by a 20.8% vote.
MALAYSIA
ibrahim, his excellency dr anwar
Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician of global stature. He is the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia,
former finance minister and is currently the leader of the Malaysian opposition coalition.
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