November 19th, 2009 by Jason

The Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University has released a detailed list of the “The 500 Most Influential Muslims.” While the report (PDF) admits defining influence is “tricky,” it seeks to identify “people whose influence is derived from their practice of Islam or from the fact that they are Muslim.” The report provides profiles for the top 50 individuals, as well as a detailed overview of Islam.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia edges out Grand Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran for the most influential Muslim in the world. They are followed by Morocco’s King Hassan, Jordan’s King Abdullah, and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan.

In The Guardian, Riazat Butt identifies several anomalies in the list, such as comedian Dave Chapelle. She also expresses her discontent that so few women are identified, and those that do make the list are given a separate category. Furthermore, she observes that many of the top 50 Muslims are heads of state who inherited their position, citing the report’s distinct category of Muslims who are influential because of their lineage.

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