The 500 Most Influential Muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

Administrative
CZECH REPUBLIC
sanka, vladimir
Vladimir Sanka is the vice president of The Islamic Centre in Prague. The Czech Republic is one of
the least religious countries in Europe, however Sanka’s center bucks this trend, leading the fastestgrowing
religious community in Prague, and reflecting a larger movement throughout Europe.
DENMARK
pederson, abdul wahid
Abdul Wahid Pederson is the vice president of Muslims in Dialogue, which promotes Islam within
Denmark. Pederson is also the principal of three elementary schools, vice chairman of the Islamic
Christian Study Centre, foreign relations manager of the Muslim Council of Denmark, and
secretary general of the charity Danish Muslim Aid. He is the first imam to hold Friday sermons
in Danish.
FINLAND
daher, okan
Okan Daher is a leader of the Tatar Muslim population of Helsinki. Tatar Muslims have lived in
Finland for centuries. He is influential in community relations with the Christian-majority society
of Finland by promoting ways to adapt flexibly while maintaining cultural heritage, and he is also
influential through promoting relations with the various Tatar communities in Europe. Daher is
also head of the Islamic Community of Finland and an advisor to the President of the Republic
of Finland.
FRANCE
moussaoui, mohammed [new]
Moussaoui is the president of the French Council on Muslim Faith. The CFCM was established in
2003 by then Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy to be the ‘official’ representative body of the French
Muslim community. Council members are directly elected by French Muslims.
ITALY
pallavicini, imam yahya sergio yahe
Pallavicini is an important figure in the religious life of Italian Muslims as well as in European
relations with the Muslim world. He is vice president of CO.RE.IS (Comunità Religiosa Islamica;
the Islamic Religious Community), Italy, the chairman of the ISESCO Council for Education and
Culture in the West, and an advisor for Islamic affairs to the Italian minister of interior. Pallavicini
is also the imam of the al Wahid Mosque of Milan in Via Meda, where he organizes the training
of imams in Italian. His father is Abd Al Wahid Pallavicini, the noted preacher and head of the
Ahamadiyyah Idrissiyyah Shadhiliyyah brotherhood in Italy.
KOSOVO
trnava, his eminence sheikh naim
Naim Trnava is the grand mufti of Kosovo. He is the leading religious figure in Kosovo, a new
country, which emerged after an ethno-religious war that caused widespread loss of life and
destruction. Trnava is a key figure in the attempts of the country’s Muslim population to overcome
the horrors of war. He was instrumental in the creation of the Inter-Religious Council Organization
for Interfaith Relations.
PORTUGAL
vakil, abdool magid abdool karim [new]
Abdool Magid Abdool Karim Vakil is the founder and president of the Islamic Community
(Comunidade Islâmica de Lisboa), the co-founder and president of the Abrahamic Forum of
Portugal (Forum Abraâmico de Portugal) and a member of the Committee for Religious Freedom
of the Ministry of Justice of Portugal. He is one of the leading economists from the region and has
recieved several awards for his work from the Portuguese goverment.
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