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

A leading Saudi sheikh, Salman al Ouda is a
former hard-line cleric turned advocate of peaceful
coexistence. He is increasingly influential due to his
innovative reach in the Muslim world propagated
via IslamToday.com and his persistent efforts at
ministering to the needs of the global Muslim
community.
Key Scholar of Salafi Network
Sheikh Salman al Ouda is a leading scholar of the
Salafi movement. Although he is not noted for
propagating innovative ideas within the network, he
has notable influence in the movement due to his use
of multiple modes of education (web, audiovisual media, and print) to educate the large
body of Salafi Muslims in the Islamic sciences. His website brings together a diverse range
of Islamic scholars and educators to provide guidance in Islamic thought.
Influence Through Virtual Islamic Resource
Sheikh al Ouda supervises all content published on IslamToday.com—a website that offers
virtual resources for Islamic education on the Internet in multiple languages. His work
has far-reaching impact in an age when religion is spread through media and technology,
with IslamToday.com at the forefront of this trend.
Innovative Educator
Al Ouda developed a following from weekly talks at his local mosque in Buraydah and
has become an authority for Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide who access
IslamToday.com—a Saudi-funded website dedicated to providing Islamic educational
resources in English, Arabic, French and Chinese. He also addresses Islamic issues on the
Saudi satellite channel MBC.
Ambassador of Non-violence
In an effort to distance himself from alleged connections to perpetrators of terrorism, al
Ouda is outspoken about the importance of inculcating love and mercy as opposed to
violence in the daily life of Muslims—except in valid cases of self-defense. As a prominent
member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, he led the delegation in talks
with Arab heads of state and the need for them to unite in opposition to Israel's siege of
Gaza in early 2009.
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sheikh salMan al ouda
Saudi Scholar and Educator
Country: Saudi Arabia
Date of Birth: 1955
Source of Influence: Scholarly,
Media
Influence: Supervises IslamToday.
com with 2,000 daily hits, has
published 50 books, numerous
television appearances that reach
millions of people across the
globe
School of Thought: Moderate
Salafi