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

WOMEN
BANGLADESH
wazed, her excellency sheikha hasina
Sheikha Hasina is the current prime minister of Bangladesh and the president of one of Bangladesh’s
major political parties, the Awami League. Poverty reduction is a priority for one of the poorest
but most populous Muslim countries in the world. She is the daughter of Muijibur Rahman, the
first president of Bangladesh.
CHINA
kadeer, rebiya
Kadeer is the de facto leader of the movement for social justice for the eight million strong Uighur
ethnic-population of China. She was formerly a successful businesswoman but was imprisoned
in 2000 for leaking state secrets, and now lives in exile in the United States. She is well known for
her work in Europe and North America publicizing the plight of the Uighur ethnic group, and is
partially responsible for raising the issue’s status both in China and abroad. The Chinese government
sees Kadeer as an agitator.
INDONESIA
alawiyaah, prof. dr tuti
Alawiyaah was the Indonesian Minister of Women’s Empowerment in President Suharto’s last
cabinet. Alawiyaah is currently the dean of one of Indonesia’s oldest and most prominent Islamic
educational institutions, the As Syafi’iyah University. She is a prolific preacher and broadens her
reach through her regular television appearances on almost all Indonesian television channels.
mulia, siti musdah
Siti Mulia is chair of the social organization Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama—the women's branch of
the enormous Indonesian Islamic organization the Nahdlatul Ulama. In 1999, she became the first
female professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. She helped produce the Counter Legal Draft,
which would have revised the Islamic legal code to ban polygamy and child marriages.
munir, lily zakiyah
Munir is the founder and director of the Centre for Pesantren and Democracy Studies, an organization
educating Islamic boarding schools about human rights and political participation, especially
during elections. She was the only woman and only Muslim to serve on the Monitoring Commission
for the election in Afghanistan.
ulfah, hajjah maria
Hajjah Maria Ulfah is an internationally acclaimed reciter of the Holy Qur’an and is the first
woman to win an international Qur’an recitation competition. She has popularized the Egyptian
style of recitation and serves as director of the women’s department of the Institute for Qur’an
Study in Indonesia.
MALAYSIA
aljeffri, sharifah zuriah
Sharifah Aljeffri is an artist and curator incorporating the Chinese brush style with Arabic
calligraphy to produce unique works of art. She is also an outspoken social activist who founded
Sisters in Islam, an organization committed to gender issues and increasing respect for women.
anwar, zaynah
Zaynah Anwar is the executive director of Sisters in Islam, an organization committed to gender
issues and increasing respect for women. She is also a journalist who has contributed to the New
Straits Times and the Star, the country’s two main newspapers, and has written a book about Islam
in Malaysia.
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