President Jokowi Ranked 13th as Most Influential Muslims in the World

Jakarta, 10 Muharram 1438/11 October 2016 (MINA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, has been named one of the most influential Muslim figures in the world by the annual publication The Muslims 500, Coconuts Jakarta and Antara reported on Tuesday.

The 2017 edition of the publication, which is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan, ranked Jokowi 13th in a list that is topped by several leaders of Islamic nations, including King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

The Muslim 500 defines influence as “any person who has the power (be it cultural, ideological, financial, political or otherwise) to make a change that will have a significant impact on the Muslim world.”

In their profile of Jokowi, The Muslim 500 charted Jokowi’s meteoric rise to the presidency, which included stints as mayor of Solo and governor of Jakarta. They wrote that, “Jokowi is seen very much as a populist leader, not enjoying the support of religious scholars, nor coming from a wealthy or military background.”

Three other Indonesians made the list’s top 50. Said Aqil Siradj, the leader of independent Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama, comes not far behind Jokowi at number 20, while Muhammadiyah leader Din Syamsudin ranks at number 41 and MUI Central Java head Habib Luthfi bin Yahya ranks at number 45.

Said Aqil is ahead of Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi who is in 21st place, Sultan Muhammadu Saadu Abubakar III of Nigeria in 22nd place, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 30th place.

In the first place in this list of the worlds most influential Muslims is Grand Sheikh Al Azhar Professor Dr Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, followed by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan in second place and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in third place. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)