THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

LineageWest AfricaNIGERIAbayero, his royal highness amir al haji dr adoHRH Ado Bayero is the current Amir of Kano. The Amir is the traditional ruler of the Nigeriancity of Kano, which is the capital of Kano State. Bayero is a popular leader amongst a wide varietyof Nigerian Muslims. He is an influential Tijani sheikh, with lineage back to the prominentFulani jihadist and religious reformer Osman Dan Fodio. HRH Ado Bayero is regarded as a wisecounselor both at home and abroad because of his experience and ability to mediate betweencultures, which makes him an important asset in promoting mutual understanding and resolvingconflicts between different ethnic and religious groups.EuropeALBANIAbardhi, his eminence haxhi dede reshatHaxhi Dede Reshat Bardhi is the world leader of the Bektashi community, a seven-millionmember-strongSufi order based in Albania. He has been internationally recognized for his activerole in interfaith cooperation and for encouraging peace in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.North AmericaUNITED STATESal ninowy, sheikh muhammad bin yahya al husayni [new]Sheikh al Ninowy is the imam of Masjid al-Madina in Atlanta, Georgia and is considered bymany to be a charismatic and influential contemporary scholar. Al Ninowy traces his lineage backto al Imam Ibrahim al Mujab, whose lineage is traced to Fatima, the daughter of the ProphetMuhammad. He recently founded an interactive Islamic university, utilizing the latest technologyto continue the tradition of Islamic scholarship.126