THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

AdministrativeECUADORsuquillo, juanSuquillo is an imam and the director and co-founder of the Islamic Centre of Ecuador. He hasreceived awards in recognition of his services to the nation, and has translated many books intoSpanish. These have become very popular since the 9/11 attacks when non-Muslims becameinterested in learning about Islam. Suquillo’s books have become bestsellers since then. He is verywell-respected, especially by South American Muslim scholars.North AmericaCANADAdelic, imam dr zijadImam Delic is the National Executive Director of the Canadian Islamic Congress. The CIC ismade up of 24 organizations plus 180 unaffiliated individuals; the CIC’s newsletter has 300,000subscribers worldwide. Imam Delic is a scholar who writes about how Muslims can integrate intoCanadian society, and he has been a consultant to the Canadian government and various NGOs.Delic is the former imam of the British Columbia Muslim Association which represents 57,000Muslims living in BC.valiante, wahida [new]A social worker and therapist by profession, Wahida Valiante is a founding member, and currently,the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. She is a published author of books on theoriesof family therapy and community issues. She is an outspoken advocate of the rights of CanadianMuslims and also serves as the chair of the Islamic History Month in Canada.UNITED STATESali, imam mohammad shamsiImam Mohammad Shamsi Ali is the imam of three New York City mosques, including the 96thStreet Mosque; the city’s largest mosque, and is the chairman of the Muslim Day Parade. He workswith Muslims from many ethnic backgrounds and is very active in interfaith efforts throughoutNew York City. Since September 11, 2001, New York’s Muslim population has been under closescrutiny, and interfaith activities have been both high-profile, and well-supported, giving religiousleaders in the city a globally significant role in defusing tensions between religions.el erian, dr mohamedDr el Erian is the CEO and CIO of PIMCO—one of the world’s largest asset managementcompanies. Previously, he served as the investment manager of Harvard University’s endowmentfund, and deputy director of the International Monetary Fund. He is the bestselling author of anumber of books on international economics and finance. Dr Mohamed El-Erain is the world’slargest bond investor with over $1 trillion of assets under management as of 2010.ghazi, drs abidullah and tasneemaDr Abidullah Ghazi, a prominent writer, speaker and poet is co-founder of the IQRA’ InternationalEducational Foundation with his wife Dr Tasneema Ghazi. IQRA’ is a non-profit organizationthat creates Islamic studies textbooks and educational materials especially for children. Theinstitution has produced a complete system of Islamic education for part and full time schoolsand a comprehensive madrasah integrated program for the Singapore madrasah system. IQRA’sprograms and educational materials are used in the United States, and worldwide.magid, imam mohamedImam Magid is the executive director and imam at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Centerin Virginia. He is an advocate for youth and women, is the vice president of ISNA, and serveson the FBI’s Muslim, Sikh, and Arab Advisory Committee. Imam Magid was among the ten‘Washingtonians of the year’ in 2010 who were awarded the Washingtonian Magazine’s award foroutstanding leadership, in particular for his efforts toward interfaith bridge-building.124