The Islamic Fundamentalism, to which three percent Muslims adhere, has been described as "highly politicized religious ideology popularized in the 20th century through movements within both the Shi ˜a and Sunni branches of Islam "characterized by aggressiveness and a reformist attitude toward traditional Islam. The authors include in this category the followers of the Muslim Brotherhood or Al Ikhwan Al Muslimeen, Wahabis or Salafis as well as the adherents of the "revolutionary Shi'a ideology of the late Imam Khomeini of Iran.
Islamic modernism is described as a reform movement that started in the 19th century by politically-minded western-educated Muslims who had "scant knowledge of traditional Islam. They blamed the technological weakness of the Muslim world on the 'traditional Islam' and called for a complete overhaul of Islam, particularly the Islamic law (sharia) and doctrine (aqida).
After setting in the broad outlines of the project the authors divided the 500 personalities into 15 categories: Scholarly, Political, Administrative, Lineage, Preachers, Women, Youth, Philanthropy, Development, Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, Media, Radicals, International Islamic Networks and Issues of the Day.
Let us analyze the first 50 most influential Muslims which are profiled in detail in the list that includes Muslim rulers, two elected leaders, sect leaders, scholars, well-known Muslim religious leaders (Ulema) as well as a lay preacher.
A glance of the list indicates that the authors have political considerations in mind. The first two choices are telling and confirm beyond any doubt this argument. King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz tops the list while Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran is named as the second top Muslim leader. In this way both top Sunni and Shia political leadership has been accommodated.
At the same time the five other autocratic Muslim rulers are included: King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id of Oman, Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of Dubai, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and Sultan Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar III of Sokoto.
Only two elected Muslim leaders are included in the list: President Abdullah GÃ l of Turkey and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Surprisingly, two Generals also found place in the list: General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
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