Editing The 500 Most Influential Muslims (section)

===2014/2015 edition===
In 2014, the chief editor of the list was again [[Abdallah Schleifer|Professor S Abdallah Schleifer]]. The top spot went back to Saudi King [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud]], due to his being the "absolute monarch of the most powerful Arab nation." The list accords him the place in light of Saudi Arabia being home to Islam's two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, which millions of Muslims visit throughout the year, as well as the kingdom's oil exports. Rounding out the top three are Dr [[Ahmed el-Tayeb|Muhammad Ahmed al-Tayeb]], grand sheikh of Al-Azhar University and grand imam of Al-Azhar mosque, and Iran's Supreme Leader [[Ali Khamenei]]. The top nine are all political leaders and royals, including Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Turkish President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan|Recep Tayyip Erdogan]].

The top 50 fit into six broad categories: 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. In total 72 Americans are among the 500 most influential Muslims, a disproportionately strong showing, but only one among the top 50, Sheikh [[Hamza Yusuf|Hamza Yusuf Hanson]] of [[Zaytuna College|Zaytuna Institute]] listed at number 38.<ref name="muslimmedianetwork"/>