THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

Arts and CulturePAKISTANjamshed, junaid [new]A former pop icon, Junaid Jamshed left his career as a recording artist with the group ‘Vital Signs’to join the ranks of Pakistan’s highly respected Qur’an reciters and nasheed singers. The departurefrom pop music was associated with his participation in the Tablighi Jamaat organization startingin 2004. He has since released best-selling albums of Islamic songs.parveen, abida [new]Abida Parveen is an internationally acclaimed vocalist, often referred to as the ‘Queen of Sufimystic singing’. She is the only woman who has reached her level of influence in devotional music,specializing in traditional ghazals, often performing to stadium-size audiences across South Asiaand globally.EuropeFRANCEdeghati, rezaReza Deghati, more commonly known simply as Reza, is an internationally acclaimedphotojournalist who has reported from all over the world for National Geographic, Vanity Fair,the New York Times and other reputable publications. He is also the founder of Aina, a nonprofithumanitarian organization dedicated to civil society development through education,information, and communication initiatives. Deghati was the 2009 Recipient of the Lucie Awardfrom the Lucie Foundation in New York.LATVIAuldis, berzinsBerzins Uldis is a Latvian poet and translator. Uldis has been teaching Turkish at the ModernLanguages Department of the University of Latvia since 2002 and is known for spending fifteenyears on the first translation of the Qur’an in Latvian, published in 2009.NETHERLANDSbenali, abdelkaderAbdelkader Benali is a Moroccan-Dutch writer and journalist. For his second novel, Delangverwachte (The long-awaited one), Benalis received the Libris Prize for Literature. Besideswriting novels and theatrical plays, Benali publishes essays and reviews in various media. His latestnovel is Hourglass (2010).el mouhandiz, rajaeRajae el Mouhandiz is a Dutch-Moroccan-Algerian poet, singer, composer and producer, andfounder of the record label Truthseeker Records. After being the first Moroccan to study at aDutch conservatory, el Mouhandiz left classical music to follow her own artistic path, seeking toincorporate her cultural roots. Her latest album Hand of Fatima (2009) features ‘Malcolm LateefShabazz’ and is an increasingly popular single about her meeting with the grandson of Malcolm X.TURKEYçelebi, hasan [new]Master Hasan Çelebi is an eminent Turkish calligrapher who is hailed for his classical Ottomancalligraphy style. His exhibitions have been featured globally and he is celebrated for his restorationof calligraphic panels in mosques around the world—from the Masjid al Nabawi in Medina to theBlue Mosque in Istanbul.yalçin, rabiaRabia Yalçin is a Turkish fashion designer. Her creations represent a synthesis of local andinternational cultures and are inspired by the opulence of her homeland’s Ottoman past. Withher line Rabia Yalçin Haute Couture, Yalçin has a strong presence in the European fashion scene.158