the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...
the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...
the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...
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introduction<br />
<strong>The</strong> publication you have in your hands is <strong>the</strong> first of what we hope will be an<br />
annual series that provides a window into <strong>the</strong> movers and shakers of <strong>the</strong> Muslim<br />
world. We have strived to highlight people who are <strong>influential</strong> as Muslims, that<br />
is, people whose influence is derived from <strong>the</strong>ir practice of Islam or from <strong>the</strong> fact<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y are Muslim. We think that this gives valuable insight into <strong>the</strong> different<br />
ways that Muslims impact <strong>the</strong> world, and also shows <strong>the</strong> diversity of how people<br />
are living as Muslims today.<br />
Influence is a tricky concept. Its meaning derives from <strong>the</strong> Latin word influens<br />
meaning to flow-in, pointing to an old astrological idea that unseen forces (like <strong>the</strong><br />
moon) affect humanity. <strong>The</strong> figures on this list have <strong>the</strong> ability to affect humanity<br />
too. In a variety of different ways each person on this list has influence over <strong>the</strong><br />
lives of a large number of people on <strong>the</strong> earth. <strong>The</strong> 50 <strong>most</strong> <strong>influential</strong> figures<br />
are profiled. <strong>The</strong>ir influence comes from a variety of sources; however <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
unified by <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong>y each affect huge swa<strong>the</strong>s of humanity.<br />
We have <strong>the</strong>n broken up <strong>the</strong> <strong>500</strong> leaders into 15 categories—Scholarly, Political,<br />
Administrative, Lineage, Preachers, Women, Youth, Philanthropy, Development,<br />
Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, Media, Radicals, International <strong>Islamic</strong><br />
Networks, and Issues of <strong>the</strong> Day—to help you understand <strong>the</strong> different kinds of<br />
ways Islam and Muslims impact <strong>the</strong> world today.<br />
Two composite lists show how influence works in different ways: International<br />
<strong>Islamic</strong> Networks shows people who are at <strong>the</strong> head of important transnational<br />
networks of Muslims, and Issues of <strong>the</strong> Day highlights individuals whose<br />
importance is due to current issues affecting humanity.<br />
disclaimer and invitation to participate<br />
Being <strong>the</strong> first attempt of its kind at a list that shows <strong>the</strong> broad extent of Muslims'<br />
influence on <strong>the</strong> world we acknowledge that <strong>the</strong>re are likely to be gaps in our<br />
categorizing, and are sure that we have missed some <strong>influential</strong> people. We<br />
would like to keep <strong>the</strong> process as open as possible and ask you to please write in<br />
suggestions to <strong>500</strong>@rissc.jo<br />
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