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

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SHEIKH HAMZA YUSUF HANSON
Founder of Zaytuna Institute, United States of America
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is the Western world's most
influential Islamic scholar. He is seen as one of the foremost
authorities on Islam outside of the Muslim world, having
spent a decade learning at some of the premier institutions
in the Islamic world. He runs the incredibly successful
Zaytuna Institute in California.
American Scholar
Hanson is fundamentally an American scholar. His popularity,
and accordingly his influence, stem from the fact that although his knowledge of Islamic
scholarship is comparable to that of important scholars in Muslim countries, his application
of it is rooted in the lived experience of a normal American. In his speeches he is able to relate
Islamic teachings in a way that American Muslims find easy to understand.
Educator
Hanson is one of the founders of the Zaytuna Institute. This institute is one of the most well
respected centers of Islamic education in North America. It has been groundbreaking in
combining cutting edge educational technologies with traditional Islamic education—setting
the standard for Islamic education in the West. Hanson has built a huge grassroots following,
particularly among young western Muslims.
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HIS EMINENCE SHEIKH PROFESSOR DR MUSTAFA CERIC
Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mustafa Ceric is a guiding light for Islam in Europe and
the leading Islamic authority; he became Grand Mufti
of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993. He is outspoken on
interfaith work in the Muslim world and considered one
of the most influential Muslim leaders of our time.
Cross-Cultural Advocate
In 2006, Ceric issued the 'Declaration of European Muslims'
to the European Union stating that European Muslims are
dedicated to the common values of law, tolerance, democracy
and human rights, the value of life, faith, freedom, property,
Country: United States
Date of Birth: 1960
Source of Influence: Scholarly
Influence: Leading Islamic
authority in a country with 4.6
million Muslims
School of Thought: Traditional
Sunni, Maliki, Asha'ri
Country: Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Date of Birth: 1952
Source of Influence:
Administrative, Scholarly
Influence: Grand Mufti of
approximately 2.3 million
Bosnian Muslims
School of Thought: Traditional
Sunni
and dignity. In May 2009 Ceric stood against warnings of possible violent protest by visiting
Serbia and spoke at a sermon in the town of Tutin about the need for Bosnian and Serbian
Muslims to unite as one entity.
Peace Activist
Ceric joined the International Religious Advisory Council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in
2008, committing himself to its mission of promoting respect and religious pluralism through
discussions on social injustices.
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