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

DEvELOPMENT
SOUTH AFRICA
jeenah, naeem
Jeenah is a former Muslim Youth Movement (MYM) president. He is a progressive Muslim activist
and an international solidarity activist currently working with the Freedom of Expression Institute
in Johannesburg, South Africa.
patel, ebrahim
Patel is the current minister for economic development of South Africa and a former spokesperson
for COSATU (the umbrella organization for South African trade unions). He is important because
South Africa’s booming economy is paradoxically leaving behind much of the population; this
is because of both the HIV/AIDS situation and also the fact that South Africa has one of the
highest unemployment rates in the world due to mass migration caused by the unstable situation
in Zimbabwe.
sooliman, dr imtiaz ismail
Sooliman is the founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation. It is the largest disaster relief
organization of African origin on the African continent. His organization has delivered over $37
million in aid to 25 countries around the world. They have designed and developed the world’s
first and largest containerized mobile hospital, which has been deployed in Bosnia. It also runs 24
development projects in South Africa and Malawi.
CENTRAL AMERICA
MEXICO
weston, omar
Weston is a British convert and the head of the Islamic Mexican Cultural Center. He is a founding
member of Organizacion Islamica Para America Latina y el Caribe, the Caribbean Muslim Forum,
and Campañia Libertad Religiosa y Derechos de Expression, an active group that focuses on
religious tolerance and freedom of religious practices. Weston is the director of: Dar as Salam
Centre Mexico, Centro Cultural Islamico de Mexico, Viva Halal which assesses and certifies
Mexican companies.
SOUTH AMERICA
GUYANA
khan, faizul
Faizul Khan has been credited with founding an Islamic school in Guyana at the age of 17 and has
played a strategic role in developing Muslim institutions both locally and abroad—particularly in
the US, where he is chapter member of the Islamic Society of North America.
ASIA
AFGHANISTAN
sarabi, her excellency dr habiba
Habiba Sarabi became the first female governor in Afghanistan in 2005. She is a hematologist by
profession, who encourages environmental reform. In 2008, she was honoured by Time Magazine
for her help in establishing the country’s first national park, Band-e Amir.
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