01-Contents Page.indd - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre

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Administrative
MALDIVES
saeed, mohamed shaheem ali [new]
Saeed is the minister of state for Islamic Affairs for the Republic of Maldives. His knowledge of
Islam has provided good leadership to his ministry, especially in the drafting of regulations under
the Religious Unity Act of the Maldives which, he believes, would provide a legal framework to
protect Islam. Saeed is also collaborating with the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation to
introduce a new television channel which would focus on relating Islam to the broader issues of
society. He was a member of the World Islamic People’s Leadership and the Islamic Fiqh Academy
in the Maldives.
PAKISTAN
siddiqui, dr anwar hussain [new]
Siddiqui is the president of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, a school aiming to
produce scholars and practitioners able to use their Islamic learning to meet the economic, social,
political, and intellectual needs of the ummah.
SRI LANKA
mufthi, m.i.m. rizvi [new]
M.I.M. Rizvi Mufthi is the head of All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), an organization that
plays an active role as the Islamic religious higher authority of Sri Lanka with 3000 active members
under its 22 districts and 15 divisional branches. ACJU has recently established a Halal Certification
Authority in Sri Lanka and also publishes a quarterly which lists halal-certified organisations and
products. One of the pioneering scholars in the field of Islamic banking and finance, Mufthi is a
member of the shari‘a advisory councils for a number of Islamic financial institutions in Sri Lanka.
UZBEKISTAN
alemov, his eminence usman
Alemov has been the chief mufti of Uzbekistan since 2006. He is respected for his moderate stance
and proven record in coping with extremists in the Samarkand region where he was formerly a
mufti. Alemov was instrumental in making Tashkent the ISESCO Capital of Islamic Culture for
2007.
Europe
ALBANIA
koci, hafiz sabri
Hafiz Sabri Koci is chairman of the Albanian Islamic Community, which is the country’s ruling
Islamic body. He spent 27 years in a prison labour camp under the communist rule during which
he authored many books about Islam. These works were so inspiring that he was elected as leader
of Albanian Muslims after his release.
AUSTRIA
shakfeh, anas
Shakfeh is the head of the Islamic Faith Community in Austria (IGGIOe). He has been its
president for around a decade, building a close relationship with the Austrian state on community
integration. Shakfeh also leads the Islamic Education Authority. In 2008 he was decorated for his
services to the Republic of Austria by President Heinz Fischer.
BELARUS
voronovich, ismail mukharemovich
Voronovich runs the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Belarus which is linked to a number of small
communities around Belarus, with the largest congregation based at a mosque in Slonim.