Kalam, Shah Rukh in most influential Muslims list
Bhaskar Roy, TNN 12 December 2009, 12:54am IST
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Topics:
* Bollywood
* Sufi
* University
NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind survey of the world’s most
influential Muslims, Georgetown University has come out with a list of
500 among
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whom are prominent Indians like former President A P J Abdul Kalam,
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and music maestro A R Rahman.
What, however, has come as a surprise is the choice of an Urdu
professor at Aligarh Muslim University for his propagation of moderate
Sufi views in a region being blighted by jihadi terror.
Professor Sayid Ameen Mian Qaudri, ranked 44 on the list, is a “leader
of a South Asian Sufi movement based in a volatile region where
religion has been used as a platform for violence”, the editors said
in their comment.
Another interesting selection is that of Maulana Mahmood Madani,
leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and MP, who has campaigned against
Islamic terror. “Madani has been outspoken in his opposition to the
misuse of the term ‘jihad’ as a tool of terrorism in India,” the
university said justifying the highest rank — 36 — given to him among
his compatriots on the list.
Noted Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer, leader of the progressive
Dawoodi Bohra movement, finds space for his “take on Islam and
contemporary issues”.
Another choice for the ‘scholarly’ category is spiritual leader
Wahiduddin Khan, hailed by the volume as “Islam’s spiritual ambassador
to the world”. His approach, it is pointed out, is “popular among
Indians, both Muslim and non-Muslim”.
Interestingly, the list, which features Osama bin Laden, Maulana
Masood Azhar and Hafiz Mohammad Saeed among the ‘radicals’, has
focused on the moderate faces of Islam from India. Zakir Abdul-Karim
Naik is another such Islamic teacher included for promoting
understanding about Islam.
Recalling Kalam’s role in India’s weaponisation programme as
scientific adviser to the government, the editors said, “This moved
India from being a state with nuclear technology to a state with
nuclear weapons.”
An Indian who figures among influential media personalities is
Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria. Selected from the US, Zakaria is
acknowledged as one of America’s “foremost public intellectuals”.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kalam-Shah-Rukh-in-most-influential-Muslims-list/articleshow/5328554.cms
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regards,
Vithur
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