Azerbaijani, Turkish leaders among world's 500 most influential Muslims

The Amman-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre has released an annual ranking of the world's "500 most influential Muslims" for 2023, which again includes the Azerbaijani and Turkish Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It should be noted that the magazine has published a similar rating every year since 2009.

The section about Ilham Aliyev noted that he was elected Azerbaijani president in 2003. Aliyev is also the chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party. He won the next three elections, gaining more than 80 per cent of the vote. Aliyev stands for the development of moderate, cultured Islam, which reflects the demands of the country's population. Azerbaijan, where 9.8 million Muslims [as published, actually over 10 million], mainly Shiites, is an active member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

Apart from President Aliyev, the list also includes the head of the Muslim Board of the Caucasus, Allahshukur Pashazade, and [mugham] singer Alim Gasimov.

The list, which ranks Recep Tayyip Erdogan fourth noted that he served as Turkish prime minister for 11 years, winning elections three times (2002, 2007 and 2011). He then became the first popularly elected Turkish president in August 2014 and later was re-elected in 2018. During his presidency, there was evident economic growth in Türkiye, the country turned into a major world power. All this, combined with his unshakable authority on the world stage and support for the interests of Muslims, conquered the co-religionists of the whole world.

It should be noted that the first three lines in the ranking were occupied by the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Sani.