Tajik, Turkmen presidents, Chechen Republic head included in list of most influential Muslims
DUSHANBE. Oct 7 (Interfax) - Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is included in the this year's list of 500 Most Influential Muslims (Muslim 500) published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman with assistance from the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Georgetown University.
The Tajik president is being included on this high-profile list for the third time.
The list also includes Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov and the Chief Mufti of Uzbekistan Usman Alimov.
The Egyptian Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad al-Tayyeb leads the list this year. The King of Jordan Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, the King of Morocco King Mohammed VI, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Supreme Leader of Iran Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei are also in the Top-10.
The Muslim 500, as in previous years, also mentions the Ismailism movement leader Shah Karim al Hussaini (Aga Khan IV), the followers of who also live in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan's the Council of Ulema [islamic scholars] head Saeedmukarram Abdukadirzoda and the 2016 Olympic Games gold medalist Dilshod Nazarov are also among those on the list.
The Muslim 500 has been published annually since 2009.