- Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden, most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi militant Islamist and is reported to be the founder of the organization called al-Qaeda. He is a member of the wealthy bin Laden family. In conjunction with several other Islamic militant leaders, …
- Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. He was executed after being found guilty of war crimes at his trial in 2006. He was a member of the revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular pan-Arabism, economic modernization, and Arab socialism. Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to long-term power.
- Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf (born August 11 , 1943 , Delhi , India ) became ruler (head of state/chief executive) of Pakistan on October 12 , 1999 following a bloodless coup d'AAtat . He assumed the office of President of Pakistan on June 20 , 2001 . In order to legitimize and legalize his rule, he held a referendum on April 30 , 2002 thereby elected as President of Pakistan for duration of five years.
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(born October 28, 1956) is the 6th and current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on 6 August 2005 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Ahmadinejad's current term will end in August, 2009, but he will be eligible to run for one more term in office in 2009 presidential elections. Before becoming president, he was the Mayor of Tehran. He is the highest directly elected official in the country, but, …
- Benazir Bhutto
She was elected co-chairwoman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) along with her mother, and when free elections were finally held in 1988, she herself became Prime Minister. At 35, she was one of the youngest chief executives in the world, and the first woman to serve as prime minister in an Islamic country.
- Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, popularly known as Yasser Arafat, was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (1968-2004) and President of the Palestinian National Authority (1993-2004). In 1994, Arafat received the Nobel Peace Prize together with, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres, for the negotiation of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord. Arafat was a controversial and controlling figure throughout his lengthy career.
- Abu Bakr
Abū Bakr was a senior companion of and the first Muslim ruler after Muhammad (632–634). Sunnis regard him as his rightful successor ("caliph") and the first of four righteous Caliphs ("Rashidun"). The Shi'a believe he violated Muhammad's direct orders and orchestrated a coup d'état. Scholarly consensus lists him as the first Muslim Caliph.
- Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was born on December 25, 1949 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
- Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942) is a retired American boxer and former three-time World Heavyweight Champion and winner of an Olympic gold medal. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by "Sports Illustrated" and the BBC. Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., who was named for the 19th century abolitionist and politician Cassius Clay.
- Anwar Ibrahim
Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born August 10, 1947) is a former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia. Early in his career, he became a protege of the former prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad, but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's administration. In 1999, he was sentenced in a highly controversial trial to six years in prison for corruption and in 2000 to another nine years in prison for sodomy.
- Ayman Al-Zawahiri
Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri or closer to the original Arabic pronunciation al-Zawahri (born June 19, 1951) is a prominent member of al-Qaeda, and was the second and last "emir" of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded 'Abbud al-Zummar in the latter role when al-Zummar was jailed for life in Egypt. Al-Zawahiri is a qualified surgeon, and is an author of works including numerous al-Qaeda statements. He speaks Arabic, French, and English.
- Hamid Karzai
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai 's days may be numbered . I wrote the 25 Must-Know Facts about Afghanistan . How about 19 must know facts about their possible ex-president Hamid Karzai .
- Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 - February 21, 1965), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was an American Black Muslim minister and spokesman for the Nation of Islam. After leaving the Nation of Islam in 1964, he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and became a Sunni Muslim; he also founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
- Muqtada Al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr is the fourth son of a famous Iraqi Shi‘a cleric, the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. He is also the son-in-law of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir As-Sadr. While he does not hold any official title in the Iraqi government, he is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country.
- Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Said Mubarak, Arabic: محمد حسنى سيد مبارك Muḥammad Ḥusnī Mubārak, commonly known as Hosni Mubarak, Arabic: حسنى مبارك Ḥusnī Mubārak (born May 4, 1928) has been the president of Egypt since October 14, 1981. Mubarak was appointed vice-president of the Republic of Egypt after moving up the ranks of the Egyptian Air Force.
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a prisoner in U.S. custody for acts of terrorism, including mass murder. In March 2007, after four years in captivity, including six months of detention at Guantanamo Bay, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — as it was claimed by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal Hearing in Guantanamo Bay — confessed to masterminding the September 11th attacks, the Richard Reid shoe bombing attempt to blow up an airliner over the Atlantic Ocean, …
- Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Said Ramadan (born 26 August 1962 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss Muslim academic and theologian. He advocates a reinterpretation of Islamic texts, and emphasizes the heterogeneous nature of Islamic society. He believes that Muslims in Europe have to establish a new "European Islam" (see also Euroislam) and emphasizes the necessity for their engagement in European society.
- Mohammad Ali
Mohammad Ali was one of the greatest actors of Pakistan. Mohammad Ali was given the title of "Shahenshah-e-Jazbaat" (Urdu: شہنشاہ جذبات), i.e. "The Emperor of Emotions". Mohammad Ali started his career at Radio Pakistan Karachi in the early 1960s. In 1968, he married the renowned actress Zeba. He was known in the film circle for his command as a passionate actor and his ease in dramatic situations as well.
- Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan Nasrallah (b. August 30 1960, Bourj Hammoud, Beirut, Lebanon) is the current Secretary General of the Lebanese Islamist party Hezbollah. He is also a Shi'a cleric who is a protege of Ali Khamenei. Nasrallah is considered a terrorist by the U.S. and U.K. governments.
- Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali contributed significantly to the development of a systematic view of Sufism and its integration and acceptance in mainstream Islam. He was a scholar of orthodox Islam, belonging to the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence and to the Asharite school of theology. Ghazali received many titles such as "Sharaful A'emma", "Zainuddin" (Arabic: زین الدین), "Hujjatul Islam", meaning "Proof of Islam" (Arabic: حجة الاسلام).
- Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam (Arabic: يوسف إسلام, who was known as Cat Stevens from 1966 to 1978, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, educator, philanthropist and prominent convert to Islam. Under the name "Cat Stevens," he has sold over 60 million albums around the world since the late 1960s.
- Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933), is the head of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan is the leader of African-American Muslims inside and outside the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan has been the center of much controversy, and critics have, among other things, claimed that his views are racist and antisemitic Farrakhan denies these charges.
- Ibrahim Hooper
Ibrahim Hooper (aka Doug Hooper) Bosnian American convert to Islam who is the National Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington D.C.-based Muslim advocacy organization. During the late 80s and early 90s at KSTP-TV, Hooper, then known as "Doug" worked as a news producer in the the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis.
- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
General (ret.) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born September 9, 1949 in Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia), is an Indonesian retired military general and statesman as well as the sixth President of Indonesia. Yudhoyono won the presidency in September 2004 in the second round of the Indonesian presidential election, in which he defeated incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He was sworn into office on 20 October 2004, together with Jusuf Kalla as Vice President.
- Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria (born January 20 1964, Mumbai, India) is a journalist, columnist, author, editor, commentator, and television host specializing in international relations and foreign affairs. He was named Editor of "Newsweek International" in October 2000. He writes a weekly foreign affairs column for "Newsweek", which appears fortnightly in the Washington Post.
- Keith Ellison
Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician belonging to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He became the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress when he won the open seat for Minnesota's 5th congressional district (which contains the entire city of Minneapolis) in the House of Representatives in 2006. He is also the first African American elected to the House from Minnesota, …
- Zacarias Moussaoui
Zacarias Moussaoui is a French citizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. As a result of his conviction, he is serving a life sentence at the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.
- Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei was not a "marja" when he was elected the Supreme Leader of Iran. Since the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran required the Supreme Leader to be a "marja", a new amendment to the constitution to allow a cleric of his then-status to be elected as the Supreme Leader was required. Since this had not been put to a referendum yet, the Assembly of Experts internally titled him a temporary office holder until the new constitution became effective.
- Ibn Kathir
Born in 1301, Ismail ibn Kathir was an Islamic scholar. His full name is Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi. He was born in Busra, Syria (hence Al-Busrawi). He was taught by the "scholar of Islam"Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria and Abu al-Hajjaj Al-Mizzi, d. 742H, main teacher of Ibn Kathir. Upon completion of his studies obtained his first official appointment in 1341, …
- Sami Al-Arian
Sami Amin Al-Arian is a Palestinian computer engineer who was convicted of conspiracy to help Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian, a former university professor, was arrested by the United States government in 2003 on charges of funding terrorists. He was acquitted on eight of the 17 charges against him December 2005 after a six month trial with three co-defendants.
- Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta ("') (September 1, 1968 - September 11, 2001) was named by the FBI as the head suicide pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks. Atta is suspected of using numerous aliases during his lifetime, including Mehan Atta, Mohammed Atta, Mohammad El Amir, Mohamed El Sayed, …
- Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Canadian feminist Muslim, author, journalist, and activist. She is a well-known critic of radical Islam and orthodox interpretations of the Qur'an, calling herself a "Muslim refusenik". "The New York Times" has described her as "Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare". Manji advocates a revival of critical thinking, known as "ijtihad" in Islamic tradition.
- Imran Khan
Imran Khan (Urdu/Pashto: عمران احمد خان نیازی born November 25 1952, in Mianwali is a Pakistani former cricketer turned politician. Imran played Test cricket for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992, and was captain of the national team when they won their maiden World Cup in 1992. Currently, Imran is a member of Parliament and leader of the political party that he founded, the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice).
- Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987 in Marseille) is a French attacking midfielder. He is Algerian by ethnicity and like many other soccer stars in France comes from a family of immigrants who had settled in France.
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (born Yasmin Damji on 10 December 1949) is a Uganda-born journalist, based in London; she hyphenated her surname only after her second marriage in 1990.
- Petronas
Petronas the Patrician (d. November 11, 865), was a Byzantine general and the brother of Empress Theodora and Bardas, uncle to the Byzantine emperor Michael III. After the death of Theophilus, young Michael ascended to the throne with the regency of Empress Theodora and the assistance of Bardas and Petronas. During a conflict with the Arabs of the Euphrates in 860, the emperor Michael III sustained a personal defeat from which Petronas retrieved a great victory.
- Omar Al-Bashir
Field Marshal Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir is a Sudanese military leader, and politician, chief of state (1989-1993) and President (1993-).
- Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali (1910 in New Delhi - 14 January 1994 in Karachi) was a Pakistani novelist, diplomat and scholar, who was responsible for writing arguably the greatest novel ever written about Delhi. Born in Delhi, India, he was involved in progressive literary movements as a young man. He contributed to "Aangarey" ("Red Hot Embers", 1933), a collection of short stories that caused an uproar among fundamentalist Muslims.
- Ismail Haniyeh
Ismail Haniyeh ; born January 1963) is a senior political leader of Hamas and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. In the wake of Hamas' military seizure of control of the Gaza Strip, he was dismissed from office on June 14, 2007 by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; however, …
- Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson, (born June 30, 1966) is a former American world heavyweight boxing champion. To date Tyson is the youngest man to have won a boxing world heavyweight title belt. During his prime in the late 1980s and early 1990s Tyson was one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Nicknamed "Iron Mike Tyson", "Kid Dynamite", and "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson adopted the Muslim name, Malik Abdul Aziz, …