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

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Development
her excellency sheikha mayssa bint hamad al thani
Sheikha Mayssa is the chairperson of Reach Out To Asia, an NGO that is under the Qatar
Foundation, that contributes to the development of societies in Asia, including the Middle East,
with specific emphasis on improving the quality of both primary and secondary education, in
addition to achieving some of the goals of UNESCO’s Education For All (EFA) and the United
Nations Millennium Development goals (MDGs).
SAUDI ARABIA
bin laden, bakr
Bakr bin Laden, half-brother of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is the chairman of the Saudi
Binladin Group. The Binladin Group is a sizeable multinational construction company with
operations in Saudi Arabia and over 30 countries—making Bakr bin Laden an increasingly
influential power broker in Saudi business capital.
obaid, thoraya ahmed
Obaid is the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, the world’s largest multi-
lateral fund for population assistance. Obaid is the first Saudi Arabian to head a UN agency and
is also the chair of the principle inter-agency organization for coordinating management matters
within the UN. She has underlined religion and culture as important aspects for the agency’s
development work.
SUDAN
ibrahim, dr mohamed ‘mo’
Mohamed Ibrahim—more commonly known as Mo Ibrahim—is a Sudanese-born entrepreneur,
currently based in the UK. He became successful as a businessman in the telecommunications
industry, founding one of Africa’s biggest cellular phone companies, Celtel. He has recently come
to prominence for his idea of a Prize for Achievement in African Leadership—which awards the
recipient a $5 million initial payment, plus $200,000 a year for life. The Prize was conceived as
a way to curb corruption by African leaders, who often resort to corruption to obtain financial
security when they leave office, and to promote good governance. The prize is believed to be the
world’s largest, surpassing the $1.3 million Nobel Peace Prize.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
her royal highness princess haya bint al hussein
HRH Princess Haya bint al Hussein of Jordan is married to H.H. Amir Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler
of Dubai. Princess Haya is recognized for her efforts in developing initiatives in humanitarianism,
sports, health, science, culture and business, as well as advancing the Millennium Development
Goals toward the alleviation of hunger and poverty.
al abbar, mohammed bin ali
Al Abbar is a member of the Executive Board of the Government of Dubai and the director of the
Department of Economic Development. Under his leadership Dubai has been one of the fastestgrowing
economies in the world. He has been successful in increasing the financial regulations
requiring transparency; making Dubai a more attractive place to invest and do business in. He
is one of the main assistants of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice
President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai.
YEMEN
baobaid, mohammad
Baobaid is a Muslim activist working on domestic violence at the University of Sana’a. He advocates
for men to combat domestic violence and be part of the solution to the mistreatment of women in
Yemen. Baobaid is also a project coordinator of the Muslim Family Safety Project, an initiative to
help victims of violence in the Muslim community in Ontario.