THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

DevelopmentMOZAMBIQUEcheba, sheikh muhamade aboulaiCheba is the provincial director of 139 registered madrasahs (Islamic schools), where pupils startlearning about HIV/AIDS as early as six years of age. He raises awareness that the disease is not adivine punishment, and sees mosques as the perfect place for the dissemination of such knowledge.HIV/AIDS affects roughly 15 percent of the adult population of Mozambique.SOMALIAelmi, asha hajiAsha Haji Elmi is a peace activist in Somalia who in 2008 won the Right Livelihood Award(known as the alternative Nobel Prize). She is an activist for women’s rights and formed the SixClan movement when women were excluded from the peace process in Somalia that involvedthe five traditional clans. Elmi is also the founder of Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC)and campaigns internationally against female genital mutilation in Somalia and in other areas ofAfrica.West AfricaBURKINA FASOaboubakary, maigaAboubakary is the secretary general of the Burkina Faso Islamic Organization for Population andDevelopment. His organization promotes family-planning in mosques around the country. Thetremendous growth rate in Burkina Faso has put great strain on the economy there, and threatensto sharpen the already serious problem of poverty.COTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)abdoulaziz, sheikh sarbaAbdoulaziz is the leader of the Association Soulatine Pour Les Actions De Bienfaisance. He worksin Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso on the development of the Muslim community, and the fairtreatment of Muslims. He has been active at major international conferences trying to deal withthe problem of Islamophobia.NIGERIAashafa, imam muhammadAshafa is the co-director of the Muslim-Christian Interfaith Mediation Centre in the city ofKaduna, Northern Nigeria—leading task forces to resolve conflicts across the country. He workswith Christian Pastor James Wuye to promote peace between religions. Both were injured andaffected by inter-religious violence. Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa have gained a wide audienceand mass interest in their particular story through speaking on the issue around the world.AsiaAFGHANISTANsarabi, her excellency dr habibaHabiba Sarabi became the first female governor in Afghanistan in 2005. She is a hematologist byprofession and encourages environmental reform. In 2008, she was honoured by Time Magazinefor her help in establishing Afghanistan’s first national park, Band-e Amir.AZERBAIJANbayramov, vugar [new]Vugar Bayramov is a leading economist and in 2009 was nominated for Person of the Year,according to a public survey by local media network, Media FM. He is the chairman of a top144