Editing The 500 Most Influential Muslims (section)

===2009 edition===
In 2009, the book was edited by Professors [[John Esposito|John L. Esposito]] and Ibrahim Kalin at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

The 500 most influential Muslims were chosen largely in terms of their overt influence. The top 50 is dominated by religious scholars and either heads of state, which automatically gives them an advantage when it comes to influence, or they have inherited their position. Lineage is a significant factor – it has its own category – and the predisposition to include children of important people reveals a mindset that indicates achievement is an optional extra.<ref name="guardian"/> The top 50 fits into six broad categories as follows: 12 are political leaders (kings, generals, presidents), four are spiritual leaders (Sufi shaykhs), 14 are national or international religious authorities, three are "preachers", six are high-level scholars, 11 are leaders of movements or organizations.

The book has given the first place to King [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah bin Abdulaziz]] of Saudi Arabia. Second place went to Ayatollah Syed [[Ali Khamenei]], the spiritual leader of Iran. King [[Mohammed VI of Morocco]] found third place and King [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah II Al-Hussain]] of Jordan occupied fourth place. Fifth place went to Turkey's Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]].

The first solely religious leader is Iraq's Ayatollah [[Ali al-Sistani]] in seventh place. [[Fethullah Gülen]] came 13th. The heads of [[Hezbollah]]; Seyyed [[Hassan Nasrallah]] listed 17th and [[Hamas]] [[Khaled Mashaal]] listed 34th.

The highest-ranking American (and highest-ranking convert) at 38th place was Sheikh [[Hamza Yusuf]] Hanson, founder of the [[Zaytuna College|Zaytuna Institute]] in Berkeley, California. Right after him comes the highest-ranking European, Sheikh [[Mustafa Cerić]], grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In total 72 Americans are among the 500, a disproportionately strong showing. [[Timothy Winter]] (Abdal Hakim Murad) was the highest ranked British Muslim, in an unspecified position between 51st and 60th, considerably higher than the three other British people who made the list – the Conservative Party chairman [[Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi|Baroness Sayeeda Warsi]]; the UK's first Muslim life peer, [[Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed|Lord Nazir Ahmed]]; and Dr Anas Al Shaikh Ali, director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought.

The women featured had a separate section from the men. There were only three women listed in the top 50. Sheikha [[Munira al-Qubaysi]] (number 21), an educator of girls and women; [[Queen Rania of Jordan]] (number 37), who promotes global education; and Sheikha [[Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned]] of Qatar (number 38), who is chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

The listing also includes an extensive Arts and Culture Section. The general Arts and Culture Section included the names of singers [[Salif Keita]], [[Youssou N'Dour]], [[Raihan]], [[Yusuf Islam]] and [[Sami Yusuf]], [[Dawud Wharnsby]]; musician [[A. R. Rahman]] (India); film stars [[Salman Khan]], [[Aamir Khan]] and [[Shah Rukh Khan|Shahrukh Khan]]; comedian [[Azhar Usman]] and martial artist [[Ma Yue]]. All the [[Qāriʾ]]s (Quran reciters) listed in the book are from Saudi Arabia.

''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine's [[Marc Lynch]] stated, "Esposito and Kalin's methodology seems strange. Any list in which the Sultan of Oman ([[Qaboos bin Said al Said]], who was sixth) outranks, say, Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen (placed 13th) or the [[Aga Khan]] ([[Aga Khan IV]], who was placed 20th) seems odd to this observer..."