By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Oman-based ‘The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre’ (RISSC), an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, is preparing a list of 500 ‘Most Influential Muslims’ of the world for the 2017 edition, the nomination of which ends on July 17.
This is the eighth year that the RISSC is publishing such a list. The publication selects Muslim individuals from a range of 13 categories of influence:
• Scholarly • Political • Administration of Religious Affairs • Preachers and Spiritual Guides • Philanthropy/Charity and Development • Social Issues • Business • Science and Technology • Arts and Culture • Qur’an Reciters • Media • Celebrities and Sports Stars • Extremists
The process of evaluating influence accounts for many factors, and thus it is calling nominators to include pertinent information and links where other information can be obtained. It specifically says that the letters of nomination should be comprehensive and not longer than 500 words.
RISSC draws the final outcomes from the information received in nominations, and it will be based upon the research of RISSC staff and input from academic consultants.
Points that RISSC considers and should be addressed in the nomination include:
Area of Influence (e.g. religious, political, academic)
Geographical region of influence
Number of people influenced
Duration of influence
Notable contributions
Pioneering work
In last year’s edition, almost two dozen persons from India featured in the list, however, there were only two known figures from India, a country with the second-largest Muslim population: Barelwi leader Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan and Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind leader Maulana Mahmood Madani.
Dr. Zakir Naik too was included under the category ‘Preachers & Spiritual Guides’. His name has appeared in all the editions published by RISSC.
The results will be announced in October this year.